Amethyst and Carmine
by Lunary Canary
Summary: She has an incredibly short attention span and tries to make the most with the least,while He has a notoriously short bladder and masculinity insecurities.With one of them holding a puzzling deadline, will their journey be anything but sane?*Discontinued*
1. A Starter to Start the Journey

**WOO Yeah! My own Journey Fic! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 1**_  
_A Starter to Start the Journey

* * *

The game has started, and Noel was ready.

Another journey through a foreign region was about to take place. Although since it was his home region, he couldn't call it foreign. He was on a plane, one with crappy seats and disgusting airline food. He turned to his new companion, Kara, who was out like a light as soon as the plane took off. Only her thumbs were revealed through her long black hoodie, which had yellow rings around it, resembling an Umbreon. It was unzipped and revealed her sleeveless white tunic. She wore black jeans along with it, and new white clunky sneakers. Her messenger bag was under her seat, full of all the essentials, including an extra short sleeve hoodie that resembled a banana with a Beedrill silhouette in the back.

Although he wasn't very acquainted with her, he couldn't help but wonder how he got here.

—

Kado fell. I sighed and returned him, then looked back up at the metal contraption that managed to beat him and Genji. Lucian, the Elite Four that I challenged, shook his head at me and returned his Bronzong. His purple haired niece on the side of the grass field clapped, either smiling or smirking that her uncle won. I hated that about her at the moment.

Lucian crossed the field, and came up to talk to me. I wondered if he was sweating in that red business suit of his. It _is _a hot day in Sunyshore, after all. It usually is though; you don't find snow falling unless is January or something.

"Noel right?" He asked, putting his hand to his chin and pointing at me with his index finger. I nodded meekly, looking down at the two pokeballs in my hand. "I assume you had other pokemon then the Alakazam and Gengar, correct?"

"Yeah, I had a Blastoise, Houndoom, and Dodrio with me." I answered, still a bit sad from my lost. No wait—I'm angry. After I leave, I'm screaming in a forest. But if there's no one else around, do I really make a sound? That's a good question right there. I noticed his niece was standing beside him.

"Well, if this was a full challenge at the Pokémon League, I'm sure you would've won. You have the determination." He smiled, as if lost in thought. Then he looked to his niece, whose name I never caught. "Don't you think so Kara?" Oh, that's her name. Huh. Suits her.

"Yeah! Yeah!" She sounded excited.

"Hmm…I have an idea!" He sang, "Noel, why don't you join us for dinner? Us as in Kara and her family, which also features me."

"Uh…why?" I asked, confused.

"You'll see when you get there." He said, and by the looks of Kara, she knew exactly what he was talking about. She was frozen stiff.

After leaving the park (and the crowd that was watching) I headed on home. Mom was asleep, but she already knew I was in town and wouldn't be leaving for a while. The Kanto League is already over, and I placed in 4th. So where else can I go? I guess it would be a good idea to go around Sinnoh…

After getting dressed in something fancy and heading to the restaurant Lucian wanted me to go to, I found Kara waiting at the door, wearing a weird themed dressed. Does she always dress in Pokémon? This one looked like Claydol dress…huh. Cute.

"Found you!" She sang, "Hurry! We have to beat the waiter to the table!" Then she tugged on my arm, and led me inside to our table. In the seats were Lucian, a man with balding bright purple hair, a woman with short dark purple hair, an old woman with grey hair, and a little girl with bright purple hair drinking…a milkshake? Kara sat next to the little girl and I took the empty seat across from her.

"Nora, Cliff, I'd like you to meet Noel…last name?" Lucian turned to me with a look.

"Diego." I finished.

"Ah, right. Anyway, I told you about the battle, that no doubt Kara was filming so you can see it later…"

"Oh shoot! I forgot!" She said randomly, smacking her head with her palm.

"It's fine," Her mother (I assume) said, "So Noel, how old are you?"

"I turned fifteen just a few months ago." I answered.

"How nice, you're about the same age as my daughter." She said. What does that matter?

"So do you know the terms?" Her Dad said, looking really scary and tough…

"What terms?" I questioned.

"I haven't told him about that yet…" Lucian trailed off, "Noel, I invited you here to ask if you would allow Kara to accompany you on your journey."

"…What?!" she and I chorused.

"She's been riding us for a Pokémon so long that we decided to let her go…" Nora shrugged, "But I'm not letting her get raped on the streets," I saw Kara turn read at that, "So we were searching for a responsible and strong body guard, and of course we asked the people we knew first, but they were all too busy. So then we asked Lucian…"

"…And I chose you!" He finished, "If it makes you feel any better, she'll pay for her own journey expenses, and we will pay you 500 every month."

Whoa. That's a _lot _of money.

"Uh…I appreciate the offer, but I'm not the most responsible—"

"So it's settled then? Great! You'll start next week after we call Professor Rowan for a starter Pokémon! You are going through Sinnoh, right?" Lucian gave me a freaky look that scared me to say no.

"Uhh…sure? What could it hurt?" I responded, hoping it wasn't much. Kara seemed okay, didn't act that crazy, and was probably mature enough to take care of herself and not slow me down.

Then she snapped her fingers in front of my face, since I was phasing out from all the parading, "By the way…Lucian isn't my real uncle. He and Mom just grew up together, so don't expect…greatness or whatever."

Huh. Well that just contradicts my last thought. But what I was really wondering was what Pokémon I would leave behind from my Kanto journey…

—

"Urg…ugh…N—Noel…we there yet…?" She muttered, trying to open her eyes. Her amethyst hair was uncomfortably messy as she pulled down her hood, then blinked her groggy silver eyes.

"Not yet."

"Well…where are we?"

"Passed Oreburgh a few minutes ago."

"Oh…okay."

An awkward silence followed. There weren't many other people here, just the Canalave Gym leader, Byron, and a few rich people who were also heading to Sandgem town. Noel wasn't comfortable with the silence, for one, he had so many questions to ask her. She was the "niece" of an Elite Four member, surely she's met all the VIP's.

"So umm…you're Lucian's niece, right?" He asked, she nodded, resting her head on her elbow.

"If you're wondering if I met anyone, the answer is no. Uncle Lucian wasn't really around all the time…he had his duties, and my parents wouldn't let me go on my journey…So I spent a lot of my time helping Volkner."

"The gym leader?"

She smiled. "Who else? I really like his Luxray. I want my own…"

"You are so emo…"

She shot him a glare.

He smiled and looked out the capsule sized window. "Looks like we're about to land."

"WOOT! Sandgem here we come!" She cheered, as if the previous façade never occurred, and buckled her seatbelt as the plane began to descend.

* * *

_BOOM!_

"No no no!" Professor Rowan screamed as his starters except for Chimchar hopped out of the broken window lab. "Someone catch them before the new trainers come to pick up a Pokémon!"

"Um…did I come at the wrong time?" He span around to find two teenagers waiting at the open door. They were staring at Chimchar and the broken window.

"Yes…unfortunately, the Piplup and Turtwig that we were going to let you choose from escaped."

Kara scowled, "Darn it…"

"Why don't we go find them?" Noel suggested, "They couldnt've gotten far."

"If you want…." Rowan said, and released them into the field.

Noel released his Houndoom. "Me and Hound will look for Turtwig. You go for Piplup."

"But I don't have any Pokémon!" She whined.

"It's just a baby, it can't do much." He retorted before leaving. She crossed her arms and stomped on the ground angrily. "Darn it…"

—

Kara crossed the grass, her eyes alert for any movement. She had only been searching for a few minutes, and she was already tired. She heard splashing up ahead, and decided to check it out. And lo behold, there was a miniature penguin swimming on his back in the lake.

"Hey!" She shouted at the edge. The Piplup looked up, then continued to paddle. "HEY!! Don't ignore me! I'll go in there if I have to!" It looked back up, giving her a taunting face. "Fine. Have it your way." She muttered, and unzipped her hoodie, then threw it on the ground. She slid off her shoes and socks, and then added her pants to the pile. Her long tunic still covered her lower half.

_SPLASH!_

She swam deeper and deeper till she got to him, and caught him with her hands. "Aha! Got you, you little imp." She smiled, paddling backwards.

"Pip! Piplup! (Human! Let go!!)" it screeched, trying to push its way out of her arms.

"No way!" She answered with a laugh, "You are hereby arrested by an unofficial officer of awesomeness!" He gave her a look. "What? Too long?"

"Pip piplup. (No, it's lame.)"

"Yea...I know..."

The Piplup gave her another look. _Can she really understand me?_

They got to the edge and Kara climbed out. "Can I trust you to stay here while I get my pants on?" He turned around, crossing his arms. She smiled and patted his head, then slipped her jeans on. She decided to put her hoodie on later, when her shirt dries. "So little guy," She started, picking him up again, "How was your day? Mine was fine, well, except for the plane ride over here. I hate planes, cause I always get a feeling that it'll fall out of the sky." She looked up to the sky. "Hn. I wonder where Noel is. Oh, he's my tour guide and traveling buddy. He was forced to take me along, so I dunno if I should call him a friend or not." She checked to see if he was listening. "Okay! So let's go find him!"

—

Houndoom sniffed the ground, then look to his owner. "(It's close.)"He barked, and Noel nodded, not really understanding, but hoping that his Pokémon was close on the trail. Out of nowhere Hound released a salvo of flames, scorching the small Pokémon and making it fall out of the tree branch it was hiding on.

"Wig!" It cried out, scampering its legs around, since it was stuck to its back like a turtle.

"Aha! Thought you could escape you little rascal!" Noel said, picking him up. The Turtwig struggled to get out, but after getting an angry growl from Houndoom, he stopped altogether.

"Noel? Hey Noel, where are you?!" Kara called. She wasn't far.

"Over here!" Noel yelled. She found him and waved. "Got Piplup! Oh shoot…I must've dropped my hoodie. Be right back." She muttered, turning around, "Do you remember when I dropped it?" She asked the small penguin in her arms. He shook his head.

They were back at the lake, and her hoodie was right there in the water, floating. "Aww man! It's getting wet!" She whined, dropping Piplup to get to her hoodie.

"Piplup! (Watch out!)"

Three Shuppets emerged from the water, one of them holding her hoodie from its horns. "Give that back!" Kara shouted, trying to grab it, but the Shuppet just flew higher. Then it used Psychic, blowing her back with a bizarre force, straight into a tree. Starly's flew out of it in panic. She screamed in pain, somehow getting scraped by sharp tree bark. Piplup suddenly got angry, and released a rivulet of bubbles. The Shuppets swayed to the side and missed the attack, but then Piplup curled his wing and it glowed dark purple, and Kara gasped in amazement; it was Shadow Claw. She never knew that Piplup knew it, and when he knocked all three Shuppets out of the sky, she was so glad not to get on his bad side.

Piplup retrieved the hoodie, then gave it to Kara.

"Thanks..." She looked up to him, "Dude, you really _are _awesome. Where did you learn Shadow Claw?" The penguin shrugged. "Wow. That must mean that... your Dad knew the move." It sighed at the sound of its parents. "Oh. Sorry. Let's get to the—ssss..." She winced and peered to her shoulders, where she was scraped and bleeding. Piplup was worried at the sight of blood. "D—don't worry about me…" She said, wincing again, then picked up her wet hoodie and trekked to the lab, the Piplup on her side.

* * *

Back at the lab, the Piplup had to go back to the Professor while Kara was bandaged up.

"No major cuts. What happened again?" The aid asked.

"Just got into a quarrel with a few Shuppets. Nothing to worry about." Kara reassured.

"Well, I guess that's fine. I took out all the splinters, but the bandages need to be refreshed in a few days. Do you know which town you're going to next, so I can alert the Nurse Joy?" The aid asked, giving her back her shirt.

"Not really…I think we might be going to Canalave first—whoa! It's ripped!" Kara wailed, putting her fingers through the ripped tunic. She muttered small profanities at the un-durable material.

"Do you have another shirt?" The aid questioned.

"Yeah…" Kara answered, and pulled a black similar looking tunic with waves on the bust out of her back pack. She decided to wear her Beedrill hoodie over it, keeping it unzipped.

"Well, just in case you don't make it there in two days…" The aid gave her a cotton bandage roll. She put it in a small compartment in her bag.

"Thanks." She said, and left for her Pokémon. In the room were four people—the professor, Noel, a guy wearing a Gyrados-themed windbreaker, and a girl wearing a sleek white jacket covering a red tank, suspender shorts, and knee long black boots.

"Kara?" The two chorused. She slid pass them and sat next to Noel, getting a little closer than usual, probably to sit the farthest away from the other two.

"You know each other?" Professor Rowan asked.

"Yeah. We used to go to school together." The guy, Edgar said.

"Right Kara?" Asked the girl cutely, named Kayla.

"Uhh…yeah." Kara agreed reluctantly. Noel made note to ask her about it later.

"So have you guys chosen your Pokémon?" Rowan asked.

"I want Chimchar." Edgar said, and the monkey complied happily and jumped on his shoulder.

"Then I want Piplup!" Kayla said, picking up the blue penguin Kara was so intent on getting. He cried out and struggled out of her gripped, then hopped over to Kara.

"It seems that Piplup already chose its trainer. That's fine then. Do you want him Kara?" Rowan asked.

Kayla gave her a look, and Kara smirked in return. "Definitely."

"URGH!" Kayla shrieked, "Then what will I get?!"

"There's still Turtwig." Edgar suggested, pointing to the sluggish turtle on the table, who was staring questioningly at Noel.

She stared at the green leaf Pokémon, giving it a good glower. "You better be good at contests, twig thing."

Turtwig cried out in fear and jumped into Noel's arms.

"Oh no, you're coming with _me_!" She yelled, trying to pull Turtwig out of his lap, but then knocked into the table when she let go.

"Noel, don't you already have Pokémon?" Rowan asked, Noel nodded. "Turtwig doesn't want to go with anyone else. Would you like to keep him?"

Noel looked into Turtwig's sad eyes. It was the same from when he scorched it. "Yeah. Turtwig and I have some…bond, I guess."

"But what about _me_?!" Kayla cried out, still pokemonless.

"You can have an Eevee. It's all we have left, so take it or leave it." Rowan said, taking a pokeball out of his coat pocket.

She took it and released the brown furry Pokémon, and squealed at how cute it was. "Wow! We'll definitely win contests now. Hey Kara, what are you doing? Contests or Gyms?"

"I'm thinking of doing both." Kara answered, hugging Piplup.

"Pfft." Kayla scoffed, "You'll never be able to finish that off before the Grand Festival. Let's go Edgar." She said, then left, along with Edgar, who thanked Rowan for the Pokémon before leaving.

"Here you two." Rowan pulled out pokedexs from a box. He gave Kara the black one, but Noel told him he already got one from Oak; his was crimson.

* * *

The two left their Pokémon at the Pokémon Center to heal while they went to rent a vehicle. "Can we get a car?" Asked Kara while they were walking. "I don't have a license yet." Noel told her, breaking her hopes of riding in a sedan. "Well…if we can't get a car, then what can we? And why do we need one?"

"For one, Sinnoh is a big place. It'll take forever for us to cross the whole region—that I learned from going around in Kanto without a vehicle. Plus, we'll be able to carry more stuff with the extra storage space."

"Ooh! Then I can carry more clothes!"

"Is that all you care about?" He mused.

"Pfft…no! I just want to wear clean clothes…So what are the choices of vehicles?" She asked as they walked up to the Buy-or-Rent a Vehicle store.

"Apparently we can choose between a Bike, Motorcycle, Golf Cart, Car, or Van." He answered, "Look like we'll be going with the Golf Cart."

The owner heard them, turned around and said, "Oh! You want a Golf Cart, aye? Buy or Rent?" He asked.

"Depends." Noel said, pocketing his hands, "How much to Buy?"

"3000 dollars." Answered the owner.

"Th—three THOUSAND?!" Kara bellowed in shock. She pulled Noel to the side, "Dude, I only have that much on hand, and I don't get an allowance till I start winning badges and ribbons! Any other ideas?"

They both turned around and smiled at the owner. "How much for rent?" Noel asked.

The owner explained the price.

"I think we'd be better off buying the whole thing." She muttered to Noel, "In a year we'll be paying 6000."

"I know, let me try something." Noel turned back around and said, "Are you sure that's how much for the _Golf Cart_?"

The owner explained _again _with more detail.

"Oh. Yeah, I think we can make it work." Kara said to Noel, he nodded. "Sure. We'll rent one."

"Splendid!" Said the owner, "Follow me to the carts!" The owner led them inside and to a corner where a many models of golf carts waited.

"Let's pick one with a lot of storage space." She reminded Noel. He nodded and started to inspect some.

"How about this one?" He suggested. It was black, narrow, had plenty of trunk space for their suitcases, but there were only two seats.

"I like it!" Kara agreed.

"Ah, that model. Come with me so we can fill out the paper work." The owner said.

"You go check on the Pokémon while I go sign the papers!" Noel said to Kara, she nodded and left, a little reluctantly though. She didn't like being alone.

* * *

Kara went up to the counter and smiled at Nurse Joy. "May I help you?" The nurse asked. "Yes, Noel and I left our Pokémon here about half an hour ago. I'm here to collect them."

"Oh, right, they're over here." Nurse Joy led her to the back where her and Noel's Pokémon waited, some sleeping and some eating.

Kara marveled at Noel's Pokémon. His Blastoise looked so powerful, even when his guns were de-armed. His Alakazam looked dominant, even when sleeping. His Houndoom was lashing out its tail at Piplup, both of them playing jump rope. Although, his Gengar was nowhere to be found.

"Genji?" She called, looking around the room, "Have you guys seen Genji?" She asked the Hound the Houndoom, Barren the Blastoise, Kado the Alakazam, Rex the Turtwig, and her newly nicknamed Piplup, Emporor. Hound barked, and she quickly took her Pokémon translator out of her pocket and pointed it towards Houndoom.

"(He's just surfing the walls! No worry!)" The translator showed. It took up half of her forearm, and was in a black and white color.

"GENGAR!"

"AAAAHH!!" She screamed and whipped around, to where Gengar was. It laughed at her while she started to hyperventilate, never scared that well in her life.

She scowled as everyone started to laugh at her. "Okay okay, enough with that. Time to get back to Noel." She returned them into their pokeballs and put them on her belt, then picked up her Piplup and tapped his head. "Dude, I am an entertainer. Get used to it."

"(Sure you are.)"

"I am! Really!" She wailed when her Pokémon wouldn't believe her.

* * *

Noel inspected the newly-rented cart. He told the owner he wouldn't need gas—his psychic pokemon could move the cart easily. There was a large gallon of water in the back, and when Kara finally got back, the two went to the store to buy supplies.

While they were packing everything in the back, Noel decided to ask: "So...what's with your friends? I mean, they seem nice and all, but you don't look like you agree with that."

"It's a _really _short story." She replied, sighing and leaning on the back of the cart.

"We have time." He chuckled, hopping in shotgun. She sat beside him.

"Well...I guess I should start with Edgar." The way his name rolled off her tongue almost sounded like disgust. "We used to be friends in Elementary school. Then he moved to Johto the next year...and then he didn't return till 8th grade. After that it was awkward—we didn't speak, or even act like we knew each other. Kayla on the other hand—I never met her till 8th, and even then she seemed like she always had a grudge on me. Probably because I knew Edgar before her—she always did like him. And now...with them probably following us all the time...I don't know whether to act like me, or act like the girl they've known all these years...silent and boring."

Noel chuckled. "Is that it? Everyone changes, and so far, you've been none of that."

"I know. At first I'm quiet...but once people get to know me, I get more comfortable. But I can never be comfortable with them around...it's like they have a leash on me, and they'll reveal all my secrets if I step out of bounds."

"They're just kids, like us. You can't let them push you around."

"I know..."

"Well, that's all behind us. Sinnoh's a big place, so we should go. It should only be a few hours to Jubilife. Can you hold out?" He asked, releasing Kado to the back seat, on top of the supplies.

"Yeah. So what are we going to do with the cart once we reach the ferry for Canalave?" She asked, letting out Emp, him sitting between them. She put the radio onto the dashboard, and turned her PokeGear on, intent on calling someone soon.

"We're going to leave it in Jubilife until we come back." He answered, signaling for Kado to start moving the cart towards the dirt road. Kado closed his eyes and lifted his spoons, pointing them into the direction they should head into—north. He was given Noel's PokeGear to make sure they were going in the right direction.

She began to dial someone on her PokeGear.

"Who're you calling?" Noel asked, leaning back in leisure as the scenery began to change.

"My mom." She answered, her eyes glittering at the sight of her mom, missing her already, "Hey mommy." She greeted.

"Hello! How are you! Did you catch any pokemon? What town are you in? How's Noel?" Her mother asked this all in one sitting. Kara, who was used to her mother's ranting, was able to answer everything just as quickly as they were asked.

"Hey mommy! I'm awesome! I didn't catch any pokemon yet...but I did get a Piplup from the professor!" She showed Emp in the camera. "His name is Emporor, for when he evolves into an Empoleon! Anyway, we're in Sandgem, well, we used to, I think we're on route 202 or something. And Noel...he's fine!" Kara handed her PokeGear to him.

"Hey Kara's Mom…" Noel trailed off, unsure what to say to her.

"Hey! So, how's my daughter doing? Did she get into trouble lately?"

"Mommyyyyyyy!" She whined, "I don't get in trouble!"

"Except for those rouge Shuppets." Noel muttered, Kara elbowed him.

"Oh?" Her mother said, "You ran into some Shuppets?"

Kara looked elsewhere, "Well…yeah. I left my hoodie at some lake and then when I came back, they had it in their horns…"

"Oh…are you hurt anywhere? Shuppets are known to be very mischievous."

"Just a few cuts." She reassured her mother, "But I'll be fine."

"Okay. See ya kids later then." Her mother clicked off and she put the PokeGear onto her messenger bag strap.

"Kado, we've gotten pretty far. We should stop for now." Noel said to his Alakazam. Kado nodded and slowed the cart to the side, bringing it to a clearing before stopping completely.

"Why're we stopping?" Kara asked, turning her head to observe the surroundings.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. BRB." He disappeared in the forest.

She turned to Kado. "Come on! You have to watch us train! Just in case there's trouble." She beckoned for Emp and Kado to follow her farther.

* * *

**Yeah. Episode one. I wish I had my own theme song T_T REVIEW!**

**Current Pokemon List:**

Kara

Piplup (MALE) - Emp

Noel

Blastoise (MALE) - Barren  
Houndoom (MALE) - Hound  
Gengar (FEMALE) - Genji  
Alakazam (MALE) - Kado  
Turtwig (MALE) - Rex


	2. The Bashful Shinx

****

Sad to say that Long chapters are usually followed by Short ones. DISCLAIMER! Will never own pokemon...maybe the OCs...

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 2**_  
_The Bashful Shinx

* * *

The egg began to glow, and formed into a small blue cat with a black bottom and lashing tail. "Shinx…" It cried out, and blinked. It was night time, but the newly born Shinx was able to already see so clearly as a nocturnal Pokémon. It noticed a few berries lining its egg and began to eat, almost completely forgetting its appetite.

A few strange noises and Pokémon cries made her scared. She cowered to herself and hid under the bark of a tree, then started to cry when it realized it was alone.

The next morning—or afternoon, she wasn't sure, but she was sure that she wanted to train so she could survive around here. She ran quickly around, then struck a tree with her claw. She smirked—she knew Night Slash. For a new born, that was incredible.

"Good job Emp!" Cried out a girl. Shinx panicked and hid into a bush. Kara threw a thumbs up at Emporor, and he stuck his chest out proudly before falling over. Kado laughed at him and he scowled. "So…let's see how high you've gone up." Kara flashed her pokedex at him and scanned him. "You still have the same moves…oh, and Bubble. Hn. Try it on the bush!" She pointed to a random berry bush, and Emp complied, releasing large sparkly bubbles at the shrub. Something cried out and rolled out of the bush.

"A Shinx!" Kara cried out happily, she always did want one, but the ones she crossed earlier were all the same. She wanted a _really _good one. She pointed her pokedex at the cowering creature.

"_Shinx, the Flash Pokémon. All of its fur dazzles if danger is sensed. It flees while its opponents are blinded." _"Already know that!" She snapped to her pokedex, "_Moves known: Howl, Leer, Tackle, and Night Slash." _She blinked. "Night Slash!? Wow! This is a special Shinx. Emp! Get ready to get a new buddy!"

"Pip! (Got it!)" He chirped, and glared down the cat that was ready to fight.

"Pound!"

Piplup hopped up and prepared to smack the Shinx, but it jumped back before it was hit. Shinx used Howl, preparing herself to attack. Then it ran forward to used Tackle; "Use Bubble and slow it down!" Piplup released large bubbles, but Shinx ran through them, popping each, and hit him, sending him backwards.

"Blah! That didn't work! Come on Emp, don't let that thing beat'cha!" She cheered from behind.

"Shinx!" It cried out, and raised its paw that began to darken,

"Counter with Shadow Claw!" Piplup also raised its darkened paw, and both hit each other, sending each other back. "Now Bubble!" He released more bubbles, smaller this time and much faster than the others.

"_Piplup's known moves: Shadow Claw, Growl, Pound, and Bubblebeam." _Kara's pokedex announced. "Bubblebeam eh? Much better…" The bubbles hit, weakening the Shinx. She rummaged through her bag for a Heal Ball, it was pink with yellow fingers around it. She ran up to Shinx before it could move, and tapped it with the ball, then placed it on the ground as it began to shake.

_Shake. Shake. Shake. Ding!_

"AAAAH!!" She screamed in happiness, "We caught Shinx! WEEEEE!!" She picked up the pokeball and jumped up and down happily.

Kado nodded, complimenting them. Kara let out Shinx. "Hello! So you're on our team now! Kay, you're gonna need a cool name, cause Shinx makes you just a Shinx. How bout'…" She trailed off in thought, "Shina!"

"Shinx!" She agreed, smiling.

"Noel! Noel!" Kara called through the clearing, finding their cart. "Huh. Where is he?" She asked Kado. He shrugged, then closed his eyes, and span around in midair before stopping at a tree. He pointed his spoon at it.

"I'm back!" Noel said, arriving from behind the tree.

"I was gone for like…fifteen minutes. It took you that long to go to the bathroom?" She questioned, lifting her eyebrow while the other was still.

"I…—I got lost, okay! When every tree looks the same it's hard to find your way back!"

"Then how did you?"

Houndoom, also known as Hound, came from behind the tree as well. Noel grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his carmine colored hair. "I was found by Hound. Thanks bud." He said, patting one of Hound's horns.

"Figures." Kara muttered under her breath, "Anyway, I caught a Shinx! Her name is Shina."

"Really? Can I see?" He asked, sitting on the side of the cart.

"Kay!" She pressed the button on the Heal Ball, letting the newly healed Shinx out of her ball. "Shinx!" She cried out, but when seeing Hound, she began to cower behind her trainers legs. "Hound is scaring Shina." She snapped, pointing an accusing finger at his canine.

"(I've got an idea. Why don't we eat the little bugger!)" Hound said, and the translator in Kara's hand did its job well.

She gasped dramatically. "No! Shina isn't a snack you little devil!" She snapped. He scoffed and lied on his paws.

"Are we leaving anytime soon?" She asked Noel, who was taking a nap with his hat covering his face. "HEY!" She took his hat and smacked him with it, waking him up.

"Huh—WHA?! What! What! I'm awake!" He cried out frantically.

"I _said, _can we get to Jubilife soon? I want lunch."

"Oh. Yeah, we're about a half an hour away from here. You can see the building tops from here." He pointed to the tall skyscraper where careless flying Pokémon crashed into it and fell several feet to the ground, to their possible dooms.

"_Wow. _That looks nice. Come on, let's go!" She hopped into the passenger seat, and Kado took his place in the back. Shina sat on the ground calmly, confused. "Come on Shina, you too Emp. You can collect berries later." Emp sighed and dropped the Cheri berries he found on the ground, then jumped into the car and sat on her lap. Shina was still confused, and scampered onto the cart, sitting near the humans' feet. When the cart started to move, Shina was so startled that she electrocuted Kara and Noel, making them scream and their hairs stand up.

"Gah! What the heck Shina?!" She looked down to her electric cat. Shina lowered her ears in fear, and held it over her eyes.

"(You can sit up here if you want.)" Emp suggested, moving next to Kado with the PokeGear.

"(O—okay…)" She hopped to Kara's lap, and found it more relaxing with more air around then at the floor. She put her paws on the dashboard, watching the scenery past by, then turned her head to the back where Kado was floating, Emp was relaxing, and Hound was grinning stupidly at the ground with his devil's tail wagging. "(Bet'cha wish you were still small enough to sit in peoples laps, huh?)" She teased Hound.

He growled at her threateningly before turning back to the road.

* * *

**Increase in hits/reviews will make me update faster. Maybe. SO REVIEW!**

**Current Pokemon List:**

Kara

Piplup (MALE) - Emp  
Shinx (FEMALE) - Shina

Noel

Blastoise (MALE) - Barren  
Houndoom (MALE) - Hound  
Gengar (FEMALE) - Genji  
Alakazam (MALE) - Kado  
Turtwig (MALE) - Rex


	3. Jubilife and its Stalkers

**I hate it when I have authors block...its like...block. Yeah. You know what I mean. Luckily for you, it's not this story that's blocked! Yay? Anyway, short chapters might be followed by long ones~**

**Disclaimer: Only own OCs...although I rather disown them. YOU DISAPPOINT ME BIPOLAR GIRL! Never mind.**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 3**_  
_Jubilife and its Stalkers

* * *

"FINALLY! WE'RE HERE!" Kara cried out as the group reached the gates of Jubilife City. Shina and Emp cried out happily, amazed at how big the buildings were. Hound and Kado were surprised at how big it was as well.

"We've gotten this far, let's try to get to the pokemon center!" Noel said, pointing onward dramatically. Kado agreed and the cart was off at mach speed, if it wasn't for the traffic they encountered as soon as they reached the road.

Kara entered the Pokémon Center alone, and practically screamed bloody murder when she saw a familiar duo at the front desk. It was Kayla and Edgar, both getting their pokemon healed. Upon seeing her enter the center, Edgar said, "Oh, hey Kara!"

She looked up in surprise, not really expecting them. Her pokemon joined her side, feeling her fear, and began to guard her. The duo gave her strange looks, and she returned both of them before they embarrassed her any further.

"Oh...hey guys...! What're you doing here?"

"Just shopping, entering a contest for later today. Where's that hot guy you were with earlier?" Kayla asked suspiciously.

"He's parking the car." Kara answered, going up to the Nurse Joy, the duo parting for her. "Can you heal them please?" She asked the nurse. The Nurse nodded and disappeared with her two pokeballs. "Wait—there's a contest today?"

"Registration is already over." Edgar said, shrugging.

"Oh, that's fine. I didn't want to enter anyway...I'm just not ready." She shrugged, and Kayla scowled.

"Really? Well _I'll _be in it." she bragged, flipping her afro hair over her shoulder.

"Cool." Kara chimed, then turned to the door as Noel, Kado, and Hound came in.

"Oh hey! Edgar and—Kayla right?" He said, walking up to them, trying to remember their names.

"Right." Edgar nodded, he looked to Noel's pokemon. "Cool pokemon. Mind if we battle?"

"Sure!" Noel said, "But how about a double battle? You and Kayla against me and Kara?"

"You're on!" Kayla said, enthusiastic about a good challenge.

"Oh joy..." Kara muttered, a feeling of someone watching her tugging at her head. _How did it go from introductions to battling??_

They were at the back of the center a few minutes later, all pokemon healed.

Noel picked a random pokeball off his belt. "Ready guys? 2 on 2, no substitutions."

Everyone agreed.

"Ferrera, show time!" Kayla tossed her pokeball, releasing a squirrel with brown and red stripes.

"Is that...a _shiny _pokemon?!" Kara gasped out, now extremely jealous at the Sentret.

"Yeah!" Kayla laughed, "I totally smashed through its tiny village and picked the cutest one! It's just right enough for me!"

"Not our proudest moments," Edgar shrugged, "But worth it I'm sure. Chimchar, let's go!" He tossed his pokeball and his fire monkey hopped out, eager for its first battle.

"Emporor, Time in!" Instead of throwing her pokeball, Kara pressed the button and released the penguin, not really comfortable with throwing, since she couldn't catch well. It made her look silly, but whatever it was, it was good enough for her. They all turned to Noel, who wordlessly tossed his pokeball straight into the air, and Genji popped out, laughing maniacally when seeing its opponents.

"Woow! A Gengar! How cool!" Kayla gushed, and winked at Noel. Kara sent a glare in her direction before calling off a Bubblebeam. Edgar, who was paying attention to Kayla at the moment, never saw it coming, and it weakened Chimchar pretty badly, and knocked him into Sentret.

Kayla stared at Piplup with an open mouth. "No fair! Nobody said it was time to start!"

"There's no referee, so too bad." Kara muttered, Noel smirked and voiced her.

"She said, _sucks for you_! Ha! Genji, start off with Sucker Punch at anyone!"

Genji, who was smart enough to know her ghost moves wouldn't work on Sentret, immediately went for Chimchar.

"Ferrera, stop the spook with Hyper Voice!" Emp and Genji stopped both of their attacks to brace for Hyper Voice, but it never came. "Don't just sit on your tail! Go! Do it!" Kayla barked, getting frustrated. Ferrera turned to her trainer, giving her a confused look.

"I don't think she knows that move yet." Edgar said.

"Oh shut up!" She snapped, "She does know it! She just wants to embarrass me!"

Kara flipped open her pokedex and scanned Ferrera. "_Sentret, the Scout Pokémon. Sentret is able to see great distances by rising up on its tail. When it spots an enemy, or any kind of danger, it emits a loud, shrill cry as a warning. Known Moves: __Scratch, Foresight, Defense Curl, and Quick Attack._"

"What!?" Kayla shrieked in disbelief, "That can't be it! Ferrera knows great moves! That pokedex is lying!"

"It may look cool, but it still has the same moves as a regular Sentret." Noel said, "Genji! Show her you're Dark Pulse and knock both of 'em out!"

After holding its palms together and releasing dark purple rings at both Chimchar and Sentret, everyone knew the battle was pretty much over.

"No fair!" Kayla squealed, "I want a do-over!"

"Just drop it Kayla." Edgar said, returning his fire ape, "Our Pokémon are in no shape to battle." She scowled but accepted her loss, and returned Ferrera. The two left without saying a proper goodbye.

"Well, I'm bored. I'm gonna get lunch. You?" Kara turned to Noel as he returned Genji.

"I'm gonna relax in the Pokémon center for a while. Here, taking Hound if you get lost." He said, dropping Hounds pokeball in her hand.

"Kay!" She sang, "See ya later then! I'll be sure to return before the contest starts so we can see it!" Her and Emp then began to walk in any general direction, wanting to explore every inch of Jubilife. It was almost as cool as Sunyshore, other than the weather, and the shops here were probably the best she's seen, although she's only walked past one street.

* * *

After finally finding a sandwich shop, she bought some food for herself and her Pokémon, then proceeded to eat with them in an empty booth. Hound also joined, serving as an older brother who would alert them of trouble.

Then Hound began growling.

"Something wrong?" Kara asked suspiciously while chewing bits of food. She turned her head to the window where she was met by fierce looking red eyes. She screamed, startled, but when everyone turned to see what she was screaming about, the pair of eyes were gone. "W—what was that?!" She squeaked, dropping her sandwich.

"(What was what?)" Emp asked, looking up from his food.

"That thing! With red eyes!"

"(Sounds scary…)" Shina muttered, cowering into Hounds side. He flicked her off him with a push.

"(I've never seen the Pokémon before.)" Hound barked.

"Wait, it was a Pokémon?" Kara asked, now interested.

"(Yes, but whatever it was, it's gone now.)"

"Darn it…" She muttered her catchphrase, "Oh well. Nothing to dwell on now!" She then continued to eat her food in leisure while the other Pokémon swapped glances. After finishing her food she dialed up her mother on her PokeGear.

"Oh, hey Kara! It's only been a few hours since your last call. Missing home already?" Her mother asked with a smile.

"Pfft! No!" Kara sweatdropped, "I just wanted to say that I'd like for you to send over a lot more clothes and undergarments for my suitcase. Umm…send them to Canalave, cause we'll be heading there tomorrow."

"Wow! Canalave huh? Where ya at then?"

"Jubilife."

"Cool. I think there's a contest there later today. Are you entering?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, see ya then!" Her mother clicked off and she put away the device.

After everyone was done, the four began to walk the streets of Jubilife again, Kara holding Shina, and Emp sitting on Hound's back. They passed the PokeMart but kept going, already having plenty of supplies. Eventually they went into a shop called "_PokeLooks_" where Kara wanted to shop for a new jacket.

"(What is this? What are we doing? Training?)" Hound barked in confusion.

"Noel has turned you all into workaholics." Kara muttered, "Say, what size is he? I might get him a jacket too."

"(I wanna jacket!)" Shina squealed happily, jumping up and down in her arms.

"But you're already wearing a coat!" Kara said, referring to her fur.

"(I hate when you're right.)" The kitty muttered.

Hound and Emp decided to stay back while their trainer/trainers friend started searching for clothes. After a few minutes of looking through the various items, Kara settled for a simple grey hoodie, with warm fur on the inside.

"(I like it!)" Shina barked happily.

"Me too! Man I love Jubilife." she smiled and bought it, then swapped it with the hoodie she was wearing. "Well? Does it fit with the shirt I'm wearing?" She asked the Pokémon, turning side to side. They shook their heads. "Really? That sucks..." She looked around the shop, and decided to buy a black shirt to match her jacket. It was sleeveless and black, and could almost be considered as a dress if it was a few inches longer. After putting her new stuff in her bag, she decided it was time to go around the woods just outside of Jubilife.

"Alright Shina! Let's bash every Pokémon in site! But umm…yeah, don't hurt 'em too much. Just the Pokémon that seem tough."

Shina seemed to understand this advice from her trainer, because she began to look around for opponents.

* * *

After about an hour of fighting tough Pokémon and a few trainers who gave her about 1000 dollars in prize money, they took a break in another clearing. "Wow, we made a lot of money!" Kara cried out, counting how much they now had, "We should spend it on something cool!"

"(Like seals for our contests?)" Shina asked.

"Oh yea! And those cost a lot…oh well." She shrugged, "So let's see…have you learned any new moves yet?" She took out her Pokedex and scanned Shina. "_Known Moves: Night Slash, Spark, Bite, and Tackle_."

"Wow! You know Spark already? You might evolve soon!" Shina barked happily in response, ready as ever to be taller. Kara checked her Poke'etch for the time. "Hn…the contest is in half an hour. Let's try out Spark on that tree!"

Shina gathered electricity in her fur and tackled the tree, electricity striking out her fur like quick tentacles. "Wow! That looks like a great contest Spark!"

"_BZZZZZZZ_"

"Uh oh…" Kara was familiar with the sound. Everyone was.

Beedrill.

It was angry and came out at them at mach speed, but just before it struck them, Hound blasted it with Flamethrower. It retreated to the tree, but came back with friends.

"Too many! Run!" Kara shrieked, running, her Pokémon already a head start. She followed them quickly, already out of breath, but the Beedrill weren't and were right on her tail, now firing pin missile. Most missed above her head, but one hit her in the leg, making her cry out in pain and trip, scraping her knees on the rough terrain. The Pokémon didn't realize she stopped and kept going.

"Yeeeeowch…." she winced, holding the hit spot. Her eyes widened when the Beedrill came close and closed her eyes, embracing for the attack.

_Crap...I'm about to be skewered alive..._

It didn't come.

"_KOU!"_

She opened her eyes, them widening at the sight of a yellow tiger-like creature with black stripes; the legendary Pokémon, Raikou. It summoned lightening from the clouds, electrocuting every Beedrill in sight, making them retreat.

It turned around, staring at her with familiar hard red eyes.

_Is this the freaky stalker pokemon that's been following me all day? Not so sure if I should cheer about that..._She cowered in fear, not sure what to do. Her leg still burned like crazy. Raikou stepped close to her, and dropped a few Pecha berries in front of her, then backed away, and sat.

"I—is this for me?" She asked weakly, her sight already starting to blur. He grunted in response. She cleaned it on her shirt and swallowed it, the heavy feeling of poison lifting. "Thanks."

Both her and Raikou got up, unsure what to say or do. She slowly walked towards him and petted his head, him flinching at first before accepting her light touch. "Thank you Raikou." The beast nodded, then dashed off into the forest before she could give it another thought. _Wow...Raikou's such a beautiful pokemon. I can't believe he helped me...CRAP! It's almost time for the contest!_

* * *

**So yeah. Life goes on. Even if you decide to review, which will make life more pleasant :D -hint hint-**

**Current pokemon:**

_See last chapter for details_


	4. The Jubilife Contest! BLAH BLAH BLAH!

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon...only OCs...sniff...and thanks to all who reviewed last chapter!

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 4**_  
_The Jubilife Contest! BLAH BLAH BLAH!

* * *

The contest hall was huge and circular. It was two stories tall on the outside; with a huge flat screen TV hanging from above the doors. When inside, Kara and the Pokémon were met with the registration desk. She saw two hallways behind the desk; one leading to backstage where the coordinators would get dressed and wait for their cue on stage, and the hall leading to the arena where she can find her seat.

"Let's go see if Kayla's ready!" she said, heading for backstage.

"(But I thought you hated her!)" Hound barked.

"I do." She answered shortly, "But I just want to wish her good luck. She must be a nervous wreck." She returned her Pokémon except for Hound and entered the girls' dressing room. It was filled with changing stalls and vanities for make-up. There were several pieces of sparkly dresses on the floor, and squealing girls who couldn't find the right dress to wear. Kara and Hound searched around the medium space for Kayla, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Sentret…" Sighed the shiny squirrel. It was standing on its tail outside of a stall.

"Hey, it's Ferrera!" Kara said, happy for her discovery, the Sentret looked up at its name and found them coming towards them.

"Sen?" The scared little squirrel coward into a ball.

"Sentret? Who's out there?!" Barked her trainer.

"It's me!" Kara sang on the outside of the stall.

"OH thank goodness, someone's here. I can't zip up my dress. Can you?" Kayla asked.

"Are you wearing it...?" Kara asked suspiciously.

"Duh idiot." Kayla said, exasperated. She unlocked the stall and beckoned for Kara to zip up the dress. She did so and Kayla squeezed into it. It was a black leather strapless dress, with white pearls encrusting the top. It was a very shiny dress, and once Kayla's dress was fully on, she skipped over to the mirrors and tied her hair, then added a pearl headband to her head. "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked, synching on her earrings.

"I wanted to see what it was like back here." Kara shrugged.

"If you wanted to, then why didn't you just enter?" Kayla asked, not really caring.

"I'm not ready!" Kara said, pocketing her hands, "I only got my Pokémon this morning. I need more time!"

"Some excuse." Kayla scoffed, "I got my Pokémon at the same time, and _I'm _ready."

_We grow up at different paces. _Kara thought, crossing her arms, "Well if you're ready, then I'll head to my seat." She turned on her heel to leave, and looked at Kayla one more time before leaving with Hound. As she got to the door she heard a loud whine come from behind. She swapped glances with Hound before turning back around. Kayla was leaning on the vanity, clenching a makeup tray in one hand and a cotton swab dipped in silver in the other. Her eyes were pinched shut, and it seemed like she was holding back tears. Kara walked back over to the vanity, picked up Ferrera, and placed her on the vanity next to the makeup tray.

"Kayla? Are…you okay?" She asked hesitantly.

"….." Kayla murmured something inaudible.

"The contest is going to start in a while…" Kara continued.

"I can't do it." Kayla whispered.

"Huh?" Kara asked, confused.

"This sucks. My parents bet like 1000 dollars on my head that I'd lose…" Kayla continued whispering to herself.

"…okay?" Kara said in a low voice, "Go prove them wrong."

Kayla chuckled, "I will." She turned her head to Ferrera and pet her behind the ear, "You were right, about not being ready. I only had Ferrera for like…two hours, and yet she's still afraid of me. Maybe I'm thinking over my head. Maybe I should wait awhile."

"But you've gotten so far!" Kara protested, "You can't give up now!"

"I can't believe you're the only support I got." Kayla muttered, "But it's better then what my friends would've given."

_Maybe because they never really cared. _Kara wondered to herself, "So are you going to do it? If you're not trying to win, you can at least call it practice."

Kayla nodded, "I'll do it." She wiped stray tears and then swept the silver eyeliner over her eyes. "You better head to your seat."

"Will do." Kara nodded, and headed out, "Good luck."

Kayla smiled and nodded.

* * *

"Noel? Where are you?" Kara asked into her PokeGear. Hound was sitting on the ground next to her, scanning the crowd for his master. Noel scratched his carmine colored hair nervously, looking anywhere but at the screen.

"Umm…somewhere?"

"_Hey is that Kara?_"

"Yeah, she can't find us."

"Who are you talking to?" she asked, confused. There was no one else on the screen.

"Oh, it's Edgar. He sees you at the door."

At the sound of the name her heart skipped a beat. She looked up to find him waving like a maniac in the first row in the end of the arena. She beckoned for Hound to follow her as she made her way up the stands to her friends. She was uncertain where to sit since there was a seat next to both Edgar and Noel—it was like she was torn between two loves.

"Sit here!" Noel said excitedly, petting the seat in between the two. She smiled to hide the disappointment in her eyes. "Hey bud! How was your trip with Kara?" He asked the devil-like dog as he sat in front of his trainers' knees. The dog covered his eyes with his paws and began to whimper.

She gasped, "Whaaaat?! You don't like the hoodie I bought?"

Noel shook his head dramatically, "I knew I should've sacrificed Kado to this terrible mission!"

"Terrible!?" She screeched, "FYI, we met _Raikou_!" She immediately regretted saying that out loud, as people began to turn heads. She blushed ferociously and gave herself a face palm. "Did they stop looking yet?" She asked under her fingers.

"Yeah they did." Edgar confirmed. She sighed and tried to resume looking normal and not flustered.

"Whaddya mean you saw Raikou?" Noel asked, hands gripping his arm rests, "Isn't that a really rare tiger from the Johto region? Like, a legend or something?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head excitedly, "It saved me from a swarm of Beedrill!"

"Oooooh…" He finally understood, and turned his head accusingly to his Houndoom, "So you _didn't_ take care of her like I said? I _knew_ I should've sent Kado!"

"(It wasn't my fault! They came by the thousands!)" Hound defended.

"He said there were too many anyway." She translated when she saw Noel's confused face, "I don't think Raikou wants me to talk about it anymore."

"If you say so." He shrugged as the contest began. Everyone hushed as the lights shut off and the announcer, Marian, was lit up on stage.

"Welcome everyone welcome! Today we are in the fabulous Jubilife City, the heart of electronics in the wonderful Sinnoh! Our Pokémon Contest brings old buddies and newcomers, so let's meet our judges! Ella Contesta, the daughter of Mr. Contesta, Jarret Sukizo, and our very own Nurse Joy of Jubilife!"

The new judges waved to the audience. Ella had short black hair that fanned out under her ears like spikes. She had a silver ribbon on the side of her head and was wearing a white tank top that revealed her navel and a white fluffy skirt. She took the mic and said, "Hello everyone! I'm glad to be here filling in for my Dad, and he might remind you of Simon from Pokémon Idol, but I can assure you, I am _much_ tougher." She giggled happily and tossed the mic to Jarret.

Jarret looked much like his father as well; round body, blue suit, dashes for eyes; but his hair was much longer and his face was a lot more angular. "I talk more than my father does! So let's make this Contest one of his favorite words; REMARKABLE!" He handed the mic to the pink haired nurse.

"All the pokemon have been inspected and fed well. I expect to see the best." Nurse Joy smiled modestly and tossed the mic back to Marian, who caught it expertly and put it back on the stand.

"You've heard our judges, so let's start!" She announced, "Our first contestant is Kayla from Sunyshore City!"

"Wow she's the first one!" Kara exclaimed, shocked.

"She signed up _while_ in Sunyshore," Edgar said, sweatdropping, "I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

The spotlight set on the afro-ponytail-haired girl as she stepped onto stage. Her pupils shrank as she saw the audience, stage fright starting to set in. As she saw her friends in the stand, her heart rate returned to normal. She let out a tiny sigh and got ready Ferrera's pokeball. She gave the red ball a mighty toss into the air and called out, "Ferrera, Show Time!" The ball burst open, releasing golden and puce colored hearts in every direction. The shiny Sentret tumbled in the air and landed on its tail, Kayla right behind her.

"Amazing! It's a different colored Sentret! Our judges are documenting that!" Marian exclaimed on her mic. When Kara turned to the judges, they were indeed writing down notes on little notepads. _Sentret only knows those 4 measly moves. What'll they do?_

"Ferrera, use Defense Curl!" The tiny squirrel curled into a ball, "Now use Quick Attack!" Ferrera did as ordered. In a ball she twirled across the stage like a bowling ball. Kayla brought miniature multicolored pins from behind her back and began to arrange them like a bowling set while Ferrera was still rolling in a circle at a quick pace. "Now let's get a Strike!" She ordered, prancing out of the way as Ferrera stood at the back of the stage on her tail.

"She'll never make it." Edgar muttered, "She's terrible at bowling."

Ferrera curled into a ball again, hopped into the air, and shot towards the pin with a tail of light behind her. She crashed into the pins, knocking all over, making them scatter all over the stage. Then she unfurled from her ball-like shape and back onto her tail, her infamous pose. The crowd cheered and Marian turned to the judges for their verdict.

"Awesome dude! If that was me, I would've gotten a gutter." Ella said, her eyes flashing with curiosity.

"Remarkable I say, dearly remarkable!" Jarret said.

"You twit! How is that different from your Dad?!" Ella shrieked as Ferrera gathered the pins with her tail.

"I said like, 3 different words. That's how." The teen boy retorted smartly.

"Anyway," Nurse Joy chirped, "Your Sentret looks very healthy, and very tame for a shiny. Did you just catch it today?" Kayla nodded slowly. "Nicely done." The crowd erupted into cheers again and she and Ferrera sauntered off stage as the next contestant was announced. She let out a huff of air and clutched her fist to her chest, and leaned against the wall. _Terrifying..._

* * *

Dragged by Edgar to go visit Kayla backstage, Kara found herself already liking it back there. Comfy chairs, pretty people—it was like a movie without all the stupid cameras! They found her leaning on the wall, Ferrera curled up into a ball in a chair.

"Hey!" He called to her as they came near, "Great job out there!"

"Hardly." She muttered, eyes towards the ground, "Ferrera was like a deer caught in the headlights and took forever to strike the pins, and while the judges were talking, she tripped while collecting the stuff."

"It was cute!" Kara commented, Kayla looked up quickly, surprised to see her there.

"Cute? More like humiliating! You don't know what you're talking about." She snapped, and for a moment Kara was disappointed to have the old Kayla back.

"You're just a beginner Kayla, you still did well." Edgar reassured.

"I don't need your lies!" She yelled, "Just leave!" Despite what she said, he stayed, and sat next to Ferrera. Kara sat on the other side, stroking the exhausted squirrel. Kayla returned her into her pokeball and snapped, "Don't touch her!"

"Why are you acting so tense!?" he yelled, getting frustrated.

"You're acting tenser." Kara pointed out. He shot her a glare, and she felt struck with a knife since she's never seen this side of him. "I'll just go." She muttered, and got up to leave. The two didn't even give her a second glance. Kayla sighed.

"I'm glad she's gone."

"Why?" he asked, "She's never done anything to you."

"Her vibe…it feels really know-it-all-ish and makes me nervous." She answered, collapsing onto the bench.

"Since when can you read vibes?" he asked suspiciously.

"I can't." She shrugged, "But just the way she is…all nice and stuff, and she isn't even that quiet anymore. I liked it better when she was never in the picture."

He chuckled, "She might make a good friend if you just let go of that petty grudge."

She snorted and turned to the screens where better appeals were shown. She had a look of desire in her eyes. _Why can't I be as good as them?_

* * *

Kara returned to the stands, half depressed, half relieved that she was finally away from the overstressed Kayla. She sat next to Noel, where he had Rex sitting in his lap, excitedly watching the contest. "What I miss?" She asked, letting out Shina and Emp. The two watched from her lap, amazed by all the pretty sparkles of the current contestant.

"Really good appeals," he answered, "I think there are like…5 left till intermission."

"Oh." She nodded, and continued to watch silently. After all the amazing appeals were finished, everyone was released for intermission to buy knick-knacks and snacks. Noel went off to buy candy and Kara stayed behind to save their seats, wondering why Edgar didn't return yet. His coat was still hanging over his seat.

"(Are we entering one of these?)" Emp asked, flailing around in Noel's seat before toppling over.

"(I hope not…I'll get stage fright.)" Shina shook with fear. Kara gave her a reassuring pet and said, "I want to enter next time. I just don't know what kind of appeal we'd make…" She shrugged leaning back in her seat comfortably.

"(What?! Nooooo!)" Shina howled, shattering glass a few feet away.

"We'll do fine!" Kara said, chuckling, "We've got to try!"

"(Can we practice now?)" Emp asked, "(I have the urge to run!)"

"The contest is gonna start again in five minutes! So no. But you can race around the stands with Shina if you want." She said, as though she was their mother and not their equal. Noel returned soon after and almost sat on top of Emp if Hound hadn't said something. It was clear to everyone that Edgar wasn't returning to his seat anywhere soon, so the tiny penguin took his seat and began to eat the popcorn bought by Noel. Hound resumed sitting in his spot in front of his master and allowed Shina to sit on his head and hold on to his horns.

"(So you guys were gonna race?)" Hound inquired as the lights shut off.

"(Yeah, but Emp chickened out. He knew he would've loss.)" Shina teased.

"(Shut up before I knock you offa him!)" threatened Emp, she recoiled in fear and linked her tail around one of Hounds horns for support.

"And now, the contestants who will advance to the next round!" Marian announced, and gestured to the flat screen above her. Pictures began to appear on screen till all sixteen were revealed.

"Kayla didn't make it." Kara stated, a frown tugging at her lips.

"She must be devastated." Noel shrugged, "Oh well! The appeal round is okay, but the battles are what I live for!"

She shook her head at him, "Is that all you care about?" She asked, mimicking him from earlier that day.

"Duh!" He grinned, and then watched intently as the first two contestants were called to stage to brawl it out. Just in the midst of the pokemon being released, Kara's PokeGear vibrated. She probed her bag for the black and white device and flipped it open. Edgar's face showed up on the screen, and at first, she was stunned. Then she was confused, cause she _never _gave him her number_!_

"Hey."

"Uh...hey? How'd you get my number?" She asked, the PokeGear glowing with light.

"Noel gave it to me." He shrugged and said, "Can you come back stage? Kayla ran into the dressing room and started bawling."

"...You're not in there right?"

"Of course not!" He snapped, "I mean, it's not like I didn't try..."

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'll be there in a few." She closed it and clipped it onto her bag as she strapped it on, then returned both her pokemon and placed their balls into the zipped net on the flap of her brown messenger bag.

"Where're you going?" Noel asked when he noticed her stand up.

"Backstage." She answered shortly, weaving around his and Hounds legs, "BRB."

"K, and hey, we should totally talk in internet slang!"

"Right..." She muttered, "NIYD."

"Huh?"

"Not in your dreams."

"You can't make up acronyms dear." He said mockingly, batting his eyelashes. She laughed and left the stands for backstage.

* * *

Backstage was exactly as she had left it last time; clothes scattered on the floor and squealing people who lost their stuff during their appeal. There was another distinct wailing in the distance, loud and _really _annoying. Edgar was in the hall and pointed to the last stall in the dressing room, whose lookout was a sleeping shiny Sentret. Kara weaved through the scattered articles of clothing and picked up Ferrera, who flinched awake. She loved the shiny little squirrel, it was adorable and shy, and needed proper treatment, the kind Kayla couldn't provide at the moment. She knocked on the door lightly with her knuckles and said, "Kayla? Hey...are you alright?"

The sniffling stopped for a moment, "Kara? Who told you to come here?" Kayla asked hesitantly behind the stall door.

"A little birdie." Kara smiled, "So...you didn't get to the next round?"

"Nope..." There was a sigh on the other end of the door.

"Well...it's fine right? It was just practice for your next contest?" She asked reassuringly.

"At first it was...but then I got all serious and did really well! How could they _not_ pick me?"

"Uhh...I can't answer that. I'm no judge."

Kayla scoffed, "Obviously." The door to the stall unlocked and she emerged from it, eyes red and puffy and hair askew. Her eyes fell to her pokemon in someone else's arms, and was about to snatch it back, but hope was lost and she gave up. She turned to the vanity and began to fix her appearance, brushing her massive afro bush with a huge brush.

"Sen?" The small pokemon woke up in Kara's arms, confused. She saw her trainer sneer at her and curled into a ball again. Kara sighed and placed her on the counter, then said, "Must you give your pokemon the "look" every time they look at you?" She asked, fiddling with a random pencil on the limestone vanity.

"Yeah," Kayla snapped, "I'm not having a wimp as a pokemon. If Ferrera can't stand my looks, then maybe I was wrong in capturing her."

"You mean destroying her home and kidnapping her?" Kara muttered, which Kayla obviously heard and snapped her head at her in disbelief, "Sorry." she put her hands up in defense. Silence continued till Kayla was finishing her makeup, then said, "Hey, today…I saw something at Lake Varity."

"You went to Lake Varity?" Kara questioned.

"Yeah, right after I got my Eevee." Kayla nodded, "He ran away and stopped at the Lake, and once I got there I saw this…thing. It was invisible but the space around it was warped so I could see its figure. It was kind of small…with three weird looking tails and some hair."

Kara gasped in realization, "You saw Mesprit!"

"Really?" Kayla said, excited, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! We learned about it in class remember? Lake Varity is the home of one of the Lake Trios…err—the Emotion one! Mesprit!"

"Cool!" Kayla smiled, "I hope it means good luck!"

"It must be!" Kara said, jealous again, "You're so lucky!"

"I know!" Kayla sang while smirking.

* * *

It was night and after the contest, and the four teens were sitting at the Pokémon Center and eating their dinner, along with Barren, Hound, Kado, Genji, Rex, Emp, Shina, Chimchar, Edgar's Growlithe, Baine the Eevee, and Ferrera.

"So where're you guys going?" Edgar asked as he finished his plate.

Kara was about to reply but Noel butted in; "We're taking a ferry to Canalave tomorrow morning! Then we should get there by 3, and we'll challenge Byron, get the badge, and be back here by the next day."

"You're going to Canalave already?" asked the bewildered Kayla, "Most people start with Eterna or Oreburg."

"Can I come with?" Edgar suddenly said.

"Wha—dude! I thought we were going to Floaroma!"

"But I want to challenge a gym right away Kayla! Canalave is so close! You can come…"

"No! My next contest is next week at Floaroma! I can't miss it!"

"We'll get back in time!"

Kayla slapped her hands on the table and returned her eating Pokémon with a flick of her PokeBalls. She slid out of the booth and zipped up the new Clefairy windbreaker she bought that day.

"Where are you going!?" He yelled, getting up.

"I'm going to Floaroma!" She said, taking one step forward before Edgar clasped her wrist,

"You can't go now! It's the dead of night! Something'll happen!"

"I don't care! And obviously neither do you, or you would travel with _me _like you promised!" She took back her wrist and stomped out of the center, her friends watching after her with solace eyes. Edgar sighed and leaned his face on his hand.

"…You don't have to come." Kara muttered, getting up to take the dirty plates to the conveyor belt on the side.

"But I want to, trust me."

Noel got up and returned his Pokémon one by one. "We should get some sleep." The younger ones nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Poor Kayla :l But hey, we all need a b--tchy character. **


	5. The Canalave Cruise

**I'm updating off my non-existent schedule to tell you that OC submissions are over! -audience boos- Yeah. The ones that are here so far are enough. We need no more OCs. Anyway, enjoy this dumb filler chapter!**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 5**_  
_The Canalave Cruise

* * *

The cruise ship was large and many people were boarding it. Three of these people were Kara in her new jacket and shirt, hiding her bandages from the boys, Edgar, with his Gyrados hoodie, yellow v-neck with a plane silhouette on the side and faded skinny jeans, and Noel, with his spiked in the front carmine hair, white with a mint colored pokeball logo sock-long ski-hat, brown vest covering an Abomasnow themed shirt, and white cargo shorts. The three climbed up the plank to the sky deck, and stayed there for the time being.

"How did we afford this???" Kara asked, all in the dark about the budget they used to get here.

"We took the cheap route of course!" Noel answered, "We paid for the _ride _to Canalave, which means we don't get to have a cabin or eat the full meals, or go to Iron Island."

"Is that a second stop?" She inquired,

"Yep!" He answered excitedly, "Imma' go to the bathroom now! Here!" He dropped a random Pokeball in her hand and she caught it barely, relieved she didn't drop it into the ocean. She released the beast inside of it and out popped Barren, the large Blastoise.

"Hn. Strange. He usually gives me Kado or Hound…" She muttered, shrugging and pocketing the pokeball.

"He's not much of a babysitter." Edgar muttered, pocketing his hands.

"Yeah…maybe I'm supposed to be _his _babysitter."

He chuckled, "Yeah, that's it. I'll be on the fiesta deck." He said, and walked away, leaving her by herself with the large turtle.

Kara sized up the large Pokémon, "Wow! I've never met you before! I'm Kara." She took her hand out to shake.

"(Am I supposed to shake it?)" questioned Barren. She turned to the Translator strapped to her left wrist.

"Yeah." She answered, reaching for his paw.

"(No thanks, your hand is small and might get crushed.)" She flinched and took her hand back quickly. She laughed hesitantly, "Eh heh heh…okay…" She released her two Pokémon and put away her pokeballs.

"(WEEEEE! WATER!!!)" Shina howled, and sprang for the white railing. Emp followed eagerly to the railing and Kara joined, leaning over the railing as the boat began to move.

* * *

The next few hours of watching the waves rolled by seemed like days. Several water Pokémon hopped out of the water every now and then, but other than that, it was a relaxing ride. Kara fell asleep cross-legged, her arms crossed over the railing for support. The tiny Piplup sat in her lap, lulled to sleep by the waves. Barren fell asleep in his shell behind them, and Shina was sitting on top of the hard shell.

_Everything suddenly lurched forward!_

Kara snapped awake as she slipped off the ship, only to have stopped her fall into the sea by tightening her grip on the railing. Everything from the stomach down had lost grip on anything, and Emp fell overboard. "Emporor!" She called out in horror as he splashed into the water. The ship was moving faster and he was getting farther away. She cursed that his pokeball was in her bag, which was on the boat with Barren. She tried to scream for help but her voice was caught in her throat, and it seemed like a dream. After a few more seconds of finding her voice, she screamed _very_ loud, waking up people.

"HEEEEEEELP!!!!" She screamed again, and felt large paws grip her arms and pull her under the railing, and back onto the deck. She thanked Barren and looked for her Piplup. "EMPOROR!!" She yelled as loud as she could, but she could not spot him, "_DUDE_!!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!!?!?!?!?!"

Her heart sank at the thought of never finding him. He was a water-type, so he couldnt've drowned. But there was no sign of him anywhere as the ship drifted farther and farther from where he fell. She looked down at her shoes and bit her lip, unsure whether to give up or not.

"(Where's Emporor?)" Barren asked, giving her her bag.

"He fell!" She shrieked, clutching the bars tighter in hopes of finding him. Blastoise's guns protruded from his shell, making him seem scarier. He jumped overboard and landed in the water in splash, spraying water at her and Shina, who watched from the floor. Kara quickly picked up Shina as the ship swayed and they both fell over, hitting the deck with a _thud_. "Yow! I hope he finds Emp…" She muttered, her grip tightening on the small kitty-cat.

Barren searched the water for the Piplup, but all that were there were a few water Pokémon and sleeping Krabby's. Reef's were spread out across the bright waters and for a second he saw a bright purple mane, but it disappeared before his eyes before he could register it.

"Whoa…" Kara and Shina's eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent sparkly blue beast. It was as if the beast walked over water—hopping in this case. _It's like a living speed boat…_She marveled as it jumped across the water, leaving tiny ripples in the water for every step it took. On its back was a tiny blue penguin, wait—"That's Emp!" She cried out as the blue beast hopped in every direction, purifying the water, "Emporor! EMPOROR!" She screamed loudly, waving her hand above her head. Suicune turned its head, its feet still above water when still. It leaped so far that it reached the ship, and over the railing it went with its purple and white mane traveling with the wind.

"Suicune…" She whispered, speechless at the beautiful creature, "He found Emp…" Suicune just stood there, its tresses flowing even when the wind wasn't pushing or pulling it. _Can it speak telepathically like Raikou? Although...Raikou never said anything. But I swear I heard voices! Or maybe those were me...OH MY GOD I'M GOING CRAZY _She thought, tightening her grip on Shina for some reason. As if to answer her earlier question, the white spotted beast shook its head. It continued to stare at her, then sat and let Emp get off his back. The tiny Piplup slid off and waddled back over to his trainer. Suicune closed its eyes, nodded, and disappeared to the ocean in one blink. "Wow…he's so fast!" It left as fast as it came.

"We're so lucky." Kara whispered to her Pokémon as she set them on the deck, "We've met two legends in two days…what's next?"

The two Pokémon shrugged, wanting to forget it all.

* * *

**You hate me. STOP PUTTING LEGENDS IN YOUR STORY! neva!! Ok. Maybe there will be a lack. FINE YOU WIN**

**And since this was such a small filler chapter, here's a preview of the next~**

_"Hello?" Noel called, deciding to break the ice. His voice echoed throughout the dirt field._

_"WHO DARES ENTER MY LAIR!"_

_"Uh…me? And them?" Noel said, shrugging._


	6. The Race for the Mine Badge!

****

AHH! Something good happened today, and I'm feeling in a update-y mood! EEP! I CAN'T STOP FREAKIN' SMILING!! I DON'T OWN POKEMON! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 6**_  
_The Race for the Mine Badge!

* * *

"Name please?"

"Kara Ryka."

Nurse Joy's eyes flickered in realization, "Oh! You're package has arrived an hour ago Miss Ryka! I'll need to see your ID first." Kara gave her her black pokedex. The pink haired nurse plugged it into her computer and scanned it, then smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go get the package, please sign this." The nurse handed her a clipboard with the pokedex on top, and Kara signed it across her name. The nurse emerged from the back with a medium rectangle sized parcel wrapped in brown paper.

"Your mom sent your stuff?" Noel asked as he came back from his short tour of the city, which involved visiting the front of the gym, taking a picture, then racing with Edgar to the Center. It was obvious who won.

"Yep!" She answered, and ripped open the package. Inside lied a few extra tank tops and tunics, and a scarf in the theme of a Buneary. "Thanks mom." She muttered to herself, and stuffed them into her bag.

"I rented us three a room," Noel said, waving a key card in his hand, "Here." He dropped it in her hands and said, "I'll be at the library. It's _huge_."

"You saw it?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow, never recalling him mentioning the Empire-State-Building sized Library.

"Yeah! It casted a shadow on me while I was running here!" Noel said, and tossed a Pokeball, and out came Kado the Alakazam. He exited the center in a rush, leaving a small gush of air in the twos direction.

Edgar emerged from the doors panting and huffing. "Where's Noel?" He huffed, hands on knees. Kara and Kado pointed in the general direction of the library. He muttered curses and left in another sprint.

"Must he always leave me with one of you?" She asked afterwards, heading to their room, the number printed on the card.

"(He's just lazy. Get used to it.)" Kado muttered, making an X with his spoons.

She rolled her eyes and slid the key into the lock, and opened the door. There were two bunk beds on both sides, a night stand on the middle wall below the only narrow window, and a bathroom on the left of the night stand. She tossed her bag onto one of the bottom beds to claim it, and emptied it of the extra clothes and food she wouldn't need. After that she put her bag back on and turned around, signaling for her and Kado to leave.

* * *

"Wig!" Squeaked the tiny green turtle as it padded around the rug floor of the Canalave Library, it turned its head and rammed into a bookcase, causing several hard covered books to fall from their place on the shelf. The books landed on Noel's noggin, causing him to curse and catch them.

"What the freak? Is this library so old that ghosts inhabit it?" He muttered, placing them randomly on the shelf.

"Wig! Turtwig!" cried out the happy Rex, who banged his hard head against the shelf again.

"_Oh_." He said, finally figuring it out, "Rex, please don't ram the bookcase. We'll get thrown out." The Turtwig sighed in agreement and sat on Noel's shoes. There was a sound of pounding on the staircase and out emerged dark-haired Edgar, who was sweating and out of breath.

"You lost!" Noel sang, opening a random book, but then put it back when he found no amusement in it.

"No—fair! You—said—Pokémon—" Edgar collapsed into a chair before he could finish his sentence. Someone else began to climb up the steps, and at the top it was revealed to be Kara, who had Kado right behind her.

"Are we challenging the Gym or not?" She asked, leaning on the door frame.

"Sure! Let's go FWLP!"

"Huh…?"

"Friend who loves Pokémon?"

"Who's making up acronyms now?" She teased, dragging the groggy and exhausted Edgar down the library stairwell.

* * *

The Canalave Gym was a tall building resembling a mountain. Two rollercoaster-like railings stood on each side of the building, and for a second, Kara wondered if they were at an amusement park shaped like the Gym. But when they entered the weird SpongeBob's-Pineapple-Door-type door, they were met by the vast Gym arena.

"Hello?" Noel called, deciding to break the ice. His voice echoed throughout the dirt field.

"WHO DARES ENTER MY LAIR!"

"Uh…me? And them?" Noel said, shrugging.

"WHO DARE CHALLENGES ME!?"

"All of us!" Kara sang happily.

"OKAY…" An uber-muscular man with spiky red hair wearing a white sleeveless shirt, black cape, khaki cargo pants, and black combat boots emerged from the opposite side of the Gym. The referee came from the same door and went to his designated spot. "WHO WISHES TO CHALLENGE ME FIRST?!" Byron yelled, obviously sticking to his capitalized dialogue.

"I will!" Noel volunteered, the other two went over to the bleachers to watch.

"What're you doing?" Kara questioned Edgar as he dialed someone on his PokeGear.

"Checking up on Kayla." He answered, the connection was dead, and he wondered if Kayla smashed her PokeGear so he wouldn't be able to call her. _I'll try again later._

"BRONZOR ITS TIME TO KILL THEIR DEFENSE!" The overly dramatic Byron released a blue Pokémon that looked more like a heavy plate with a leaf imprint on its back. Noel grit his teeth and released Hound, who roared, ready to fight till the death.

_Bronzor is just like the Bronzong Uncle Lucian has…_Kara thought as he changed his happy-go-lucky expression to an I'm-a-beat-your-arse expression. _At least he's not making the same mistake as last time by taking out Kado first…_

"This is a 1 on 1 battle between the Challenger Noel and the Gym Leader Byron! This battle has no limit and there will be no substitutions! Begin!" The referee announced, raising a flag in each hand.

"BRONZOR USE FLASH CANNON!"

"Brace yourself!" Noel yelled, knowing this move couldn't be dodged. Hound clenched his eyes shut and dug his nails into the dirt as a bright light followed by a blast of steel force knocked him off his feet. He got up quickly and jerked his head back, roaring again. "Faint Attack!" Hound disappeared and reappeared to attack up close, and knocked the plate-like Pokémon into a spinning frenzy, till it was able to stop itself.

"OH YEAH!? WELL BRONZOR, HIT'EM WITH YOUR HYPNOSIS!" The blue mirror-like Pokémon was able to lull Hound to sleep, but before it could do another move, Hound woke up with a yawn, and blinked awake.

"_Houndoom's Ability: Early Bird. Sleep conditions only last for a short while." _Kara's pokedex began to say, she blushed in embarrassment for forgetting to turn it off.

"Flamethrower!" Noel commanded, and Hound blasted Bronzor head-on with a hot stream of fire. It was super-effective, and Bronzor dropped to the ground and fainted.

"WELL DONE!" Complimented Byron, "YOU DEFINETLY DESERVE THE MINE BADGE!" They met in the middle of the arena, where he rewarded Noel with a Peace Sign/Steering Wheel-like badge. "WHO'S NEXT?" He looked to the two youngsters as he returned the fainted plate.

"You wanna go next?" Kara suggested to Edgar.

He laughed, "Always last, of course."

She flashed him a beaming smile, "Yep! So go!" She shooed him away, and he climbed down the bleachers to his spot on the battle field. She could feel his nervousness from here, and could already feel her own stomach turning at the thought of being up there. _I think I'm gonna be sick…_

Edgar then said as he moved to his spot, "I'd like to use two pokemon!" Byron shrugged and nodded to his referee. The referee waited for the opponents to get into their spots before announcing, "This is a 2 on 1 battle between the challenger Edgar and the Gym Leader Byron! The challenger is the only one who may switch, and this battle has no time limit. Begin!"

"Growlithe, let's go!" Edgar tossed his pokeball and an orange pup covered in black stripes popped out, its tail wagging fast. It began to bark and maneuver around happily while sticking out his tongue.

"Aww...it's so adorable!" Kara gushed.

"Growlithe's are pretty rare around Sinnoh," Noel shrugged, "He's lucky."

"ANOTHER FIRE TYPE EH?! WELL FACE THIS! STEELIX, TIME TO KILL THEIR DEFENSE!" With a quick swing of his pokeball, a large metal snake emerged from the ball. It roared loudly, impairing the hearing of the spectators. Growlithe looked up at its opponent and growled, and surprisingly, the large snake was a bit scared.

"_Growlithe's Ability: Intimidate. The opponent's attack is lowered because of the frightening pooch._" announced Kara's pokedex. She blushed and stuttered, "W-what the heck?? I thought I turned you off!"

"STEELIX, WHIP UP A SANDSTORM!" Steelix spun its metal body parts and sand began to explode out of it, creating a torrent of sand and dust. The fire pup was pushed back by the sandy winds, and it was beginning to get hard to see. Kara put up her hood and Noel cowered into his vest to prevent getting sanded eyes. Edgar pulled goggles out of his pack and strapped them on.

"Run in close and use Ember!" The loyal Growlithe did as so, running at a medium pace and spewing out tiny sparks, that, although super effective, only flicked off of Steelix's shiny body.

"MY TURN!" sang Byron when the attack failed, "USE GYRO BALL!" Steelix span and collided with Growlithe, sending it rolling backwards on the floor a few feet. The measly attack seemed to rouse the tiny pup up, and it barked excitedly, waiting for the next move.

"Use Heat Wave!" Edgar commanded, smirking at the brilliant move he pulled out of his sleeve.

"Heat Wave?" Kara repeated, "Do Growlithe's learn that?"

"He must've used a TM." Noel said in his vest.

The pup was quick and jerked its head back, then brought it back up and unleashed a hot mist of fire at the giant Steel Snake, weakening it by a lot. It was a strong move and the Steelix staggered up from the blow.

"YOU BETTER NOT LOSE TO A SMALL INEXPERIENCED DOG STEELIX!!" yelled his frustrated trainer, "USE DRAGON BREATH!"

"Roll out of the way and use Heat Wave again!"

The loyal puppy did as told and dodged the blast of purple and yellow in the nick of time, then opened it muzzle and roared out a mist of orange fire. But Steelix still wasn't out; even with the damage it's taken.

"THAT'S IT!! ICE FANG!!" One bite, even when ice, defeated the small pooch compared to its giant competitor. He struggled to stay up, but fell as soon as the sandstorm subdued. Edgar returned his Growlithe with a smile, then released his Chimchar. The monkey span across the arena and the spectators' sweat dropped.

"He's doing pretty good for someone who got their Pokémon earlier yesterday." Kara muttered, pulling her hood off her head.

"You'd know," Noel mused, "You have crush on him."

Her face heated to high temperatures, "Do not! Now shush before he hears you!"

His face was something of astonishment. _I was just testing her..._He thought, _I wonder if she really does like him. She sure shows it weird..._

"DRAGON BREATH AGAIN!" commanded Byron, and Steelix shot a purple-ish beam from its massive jaws. Chimchar used its tiny figure and quick speed to dodge it.

"Use Taunt!" Edgar commanded, Chimchar stood its ground and pulled a Chinese "come-closer-I-dare-you" gesture with his fingers. Steelix fumed and stopped listening to his trainer's orders, and began to chase Chimchar across the field, using all of its attack moves. Chimchar continued to dodge effortlessly, aiming to tire his giant opponent. After about two minutes of a cat-vs.-mouse ordeal, Steelix was huffing and puffing like a wolf. "Climb on his head and use Ember!" the monkey jumped from its spot (the ceiling lights) and landed on the exhausted snake's head, and unleashed a flurry of red fire sparks. Steelix fell to the ground, causing a large quake, the people in their seats having jumped about two inches. Dust rose and when it was gone, Steelix had fainted.

"Steelix is unable to battle, the Challenger is the winner!" the referee announced. Byron returned his metal snake and smiled, then tossed the badge at Edgar, who caught it expertly, despite being far away, or the fact that the projectile was super tiny.

"CONGRATS KID! YOU'VE GOT SPIRIT!"

_He sure does..._Kara smiled to herself, _It's hard for him to admit defeat. I can't believe he beat such a tough gym leader...and he only got his pokemon yesterday! He must've been training like crazy..._

"Uh, Kara?"

She blinked and realized her name was called. Edgar was back in the stands beside her and she figured it was her turn. She climbed out of the bleachers, nearly tripping, but undoubtedly made it to her spot, amazed at how much power standing in that one spot motivated. She reached for the red pokeball in her bag and pressed the middle button, making it inflate to the size of a baseball.

"HER NAME IS KARA!" yelled Noel from the stands, knowing the referee had no idea who the challengers name was. Both he and Edgar knew she wasn't capable of yelling her name across the battle field, sadly. Her stomach was churning as she stood on the spot and locked eyes with Emporor's pokeball. _I can do this. _She thought to herself, _if Edgar can do it, then so can I._

"This is a 1 on 1 battle between the Challenger Kara and the Gym Leader Byron! This battle has no time limit and there will be no substitutions! Begin!"

"BASTIODON KILL HER DEFENSE!" Byron released a large brown dinosaur with a black metal plate for a face.

_Hmm…maybe I should try throwing it. _"Emporor, Time in!" She gave the red pokeball a good toss in the air, and it jumped back while emitting a white light towards the ground that formed into her tiny blue penguin. The ball came towards her and she barely caught it. _Wow! That was so cool! _She thought excitedly.

"Use Bubblebeam!" She commanded, and Emp released a rivulet of bubbles that span like a vortex. Bastiodon just stood there, getting no commands from his trainer. Now she knew why—the bubbles just busted on its metal head, and didn't look like it did much damage. She cursed to herself and began to think of something while the opponents began to attack.

"USE METAL SOUND!" Bastiodon began to emit high screeches that sounded like nails down a chalkboard. Kara and Emp cringed and held their ears, wishing that the horrible sound would stop. When it did stop, Emp opened his eyes, only to be tackled like a football player with the ball, and soared through the air, only to hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"(Oww…)" moaned the tiny blue penguin, "(Cheap shot!)"

The metal faced dino laughed, "(I only do what the boss says, shrimp.)"

"(_SHRIMP_!?)" squeaked the angry penguin, "(YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THAT!!)" the angry Emp waddled quickly to his opponent, then Kara somehow understood and commanded a Shadow Claw. He smirked as his fin darkened with a purple eerie glow, and then he smacked it across the Bastiodons' face. He staggered backwards, then shook it off.

"(Good shot,)" He coughed, "(Get this!")

"CRUSH THEM WITH ANCIENT POWER!!" Byron yelled, throwing his fists up into the air.

"(Gladly!)" Bastiodon roared, and rocks from the ground rose and floated around him, circling him, and one by one he sent them at Piplup.

"Crush them with Shadow Claw!" Kara said quickly. _It may not be like Crush Claw but…we've got to try. _Emp attempted to smack away the rocks, backing up while trying to dodge the voodoo boulders. But his ghostly fin wasn't enough, and several rocks hit his face, scratching him up pretty bad. He was starting to get exhausted.

"Hn. I didn't know Emp knew Shadow Claw." Noel muttered to Edgar. He turned to the younger guy beside him with his eyebrow raised. Edgar was paying no mind to the battle; in fact, he was still trying to dial Kayla on his PokeGear.

"Watcha' doing?" Noel sang in question.

"I'm trying to call Kayla," Edgar answered, "But it's only cutting to her machine! Whaddya' think happened?" He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Dunno, but she has plenty of Pokémon taking care of her. I'm sure she's fine." Noel reassured, "You should watch the battle. It's down to the wire."

The dark haired boy nodded, although he was more concerned of Kayla than Kara at the moment, he knew that Kayla was not capable of being alone, and he regretted ever coming with these two, even if he _did _get the badge. But the way it fit into his badge case…it didn't feel right. He wanted Kayla rooting for him on the sidelines more than anyone else at the moment.

"Run to his side and slam a Bubblebeam!" Kara commanded while Emp was panting. Dodging psyche controlled rocks took a lot of energy, and he knew he was going to fall soon. He didn't want to fail his trainer in their first Gym Battle, it seemed pathetic.

"(Getting tired little man?)" taunted the plate-faced Pokémon.

"(Never!)" Sneered Emp as he ran to the side of Bastiodon, who tried to turn, but his neck was too short to turn that way.

"Now Emp!"

Emporor blasted Bastiodon with bubbles, the force so strong that it tipped him over to the side.

"(Gah! Boss I can't stand up!)" Bastiodon cried out, waddling his legs like an overturned turtle.

"ATTACK AGAIN WITH ANCIENT POWER!" Byron commanded, and rocks rose from the ground again, but instead of coming one at a time, all of the rocks hit Emp at the same time. The blow knocked him backwards, flopping him about till he slid a few feet from his trainer. He had swirls in his eyes, and Kara's heart hit the floor when she realized what happened.

"Piplup is unable to battle, the winner is Byron!" The referee lifted Byron's flag, and he cheered while returning his tired Bastiodon. Kara lifted Emp from the ground and lifted him under the armpits like a teddy bear. He woke and looked at her, his face and arms in scratches. She gave him a sad smile.

"(Sorry…)" He said, and she turned to the translator on her wrist.

"It's fine…you did your best." She whispered as tears stung her eyes, "It's our first loss. Shame it had to be to a gym leader…" He touched her tears in confusion as a few slid down her face. She rubbed them with her forearm and smiled, "And to think we we're unbeatable..." she chuckled, "Don't worry; we'll challenge him again later. You should rest in your pokeball." From there she returned him in his pokeball. She sucked in air as she faced Byron and the other men. She didn't want to cry in front of them; crying was weakness in their eyes, and she didn't want to be comforted.

"DON'T CRY!" Byron stammered, never really handled a crying girl before, "I'LL GIVE YOU THE BADGE FOR YOUR EFFORT!"

_I don't want your freakin' badge!! _She wanted to scream, but she shook her head and bit her lip, trying to keep her cool. "It's fine." She said in a small voice, "I'll beat you next time."

Byron laughed, "THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" and slapped her back, causing some of her tears to fall out. She flashed him a smile, pulled over her hood, then crossed her arms as if they were her only protection as she walked out of the gym, the guys surrounding her protectively.

* * *

"Where're you going?" Kara questioned Edgar as he began to pack his things. They were in their room in the Pokémon Center, it was about eight at night and was very dark outside. The foreign shadows made it terrifying to go outdoors. She was sitting on her bed wearing Totadile-themed pajamas while Edgar was wearing his regular gear.

"I'm leaving." He said, "Why do you care?"

He struck a question that she didn't know how to answer. "Umm…because I don't want you getting stabbed at night?"

He chuckled, "I'll be fine. I'm gonna catch a late night speed boat to Jubilife, and hopefully I'll be able to catch up with Kayla, wherever she is."

"Uh…okay." She saw the silver case with the italic _E.S_ on the front on the nightstand as Edgar pulled on his book bag. "Don't forget your badge case." She pointed to it.

"Oh yeah, thanks."

"No problem." She muttered to herself. He opened the case and frowned at the badge inside.

"How come I got the badge…but you didn't? You were always the top one in the class." He wondered.

"You were too," she reminded, "I guess Emporor and I just weren't ready yet."

He chuckled again, "You said that yesterday with the contest."

She smiled, "Well maybe I should've stayed home."

"Don't, I need a rival. Tell Noel I said bye." With that he left and shut the door behind him. As he did this the shower shut off and Emp and Shina returned to the room.

"What took you guys so long?" She asked them as they climbed on her bed.

"(We were lost.)" Shina barked.

"(No we were not! I'm the best leader ever!)"

"(Oh, so what did you call that last maze through the halls, a tour?)" She shot back. Emp fumed and raised his paw as it darkened, and Shina did the same with hers. Kara broke them apart before they could do any collateral damage.

"If you guys want to stay out of your pokeballs, you have to behave." She snapped, giving them glares. They 'hmph!'ed and turned away from each other. The door to the bathroom opened and Noel strolled out only covered in a towel. She turned away, blushing, and spat, "What the heck? Can't you get dressed in the bathroom?"

He smiled sheepishly, "I forgot my clothes." He picked up the bag on his bed, then looked around as if something was missing. "Where's Edgar?"

"He left for Jubilife." She shrugged.

"Darn, the manly factor of this group has been unbalanced."

"Doesn't that mean you're gay?"

His mouth gaped, "No way hun!" he slapped his head, "Damn. The years with my mother have killed my manly side. Thank goodness for my abs!"

"What abs?" She teased, he shot her a playful glare and disappeared into the bathroom.

"(I didn't see any abs, and I have night vision.)" Shina said.

"That's what I said!" Kara laughed.

* * *

**So, wanna know why me so happy? MILKY SAID HI TO ME!!! Full scene on profile. Oh, and have you seen the pictures of the characters? Those are on there too. Anyway, don't expect another update soon. Unless he says Hi to me again. OH MY GOD I HOPE HE DOES**

**X) ignore me I'm still in fangirl mode**

**Anyway~review~And no, NOEL HAS NO ABS. I don't need him (in real life) to lift his shirt to know he has NONE WHATSOEVER :P**


	7. Green, Gentle, and Mental

**AHHH! MILKY SAID HI TO ME! And so did Noel. He slicked up his hair into spikes, and now I'm convinced that he looks like his OC. Except he needs to dye his hair red.**

**Disclaimer: Don't ownz Pokemon. And I say z's should replace s's. **

**Enjoy the kinda filler chap! Oh, AND HAS ANYONE SEEN THE NEW POKEMON! I call dibs on the water type. YEAH**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 7**_  
_Green, Gentle, and Mental

* * *

"_DAY 3. I've decided to keep a log of my adventures since I'm REALLY lazy and don't feel like keeping a calendar on me. This morning we took a speed boat to Jubilife, and claimed our cart back. Now we're on Route 204 (I think) to Floaroma Town! YAY! It's almost time for lunch and I'm REALLY glad our storage unit has a cooler. Now I can store lunch meat. And CHEESE! YEEESS CHEEEESSSEEEE!"_

"What are you doing?"

"_Ahem, as I was writing, my Pokémon so far are Emporor the Piplup, Emp for short since my stamina capacity is low on letters. He's REALLY feisty I think, and he worked REALLY HARD on our gym battle yesterday! YAY FOR HIM! Urf. I need to stop capitalizing. It's getting cliché and cheerleader-ish._

"_I also have a Shinx named Shina! Clever huh? Oh, we're stopping now. TIME FOR SANDWHIIIICH!"_

Noel read over Kara's shoulder, "Sandwich obsessed, are we?"

"Snoop!" She cried out, closing the new notebook she bought in Jubilife. She looked around the clearing, and tucked the notebook into the glove compartment. "How far from Floaroma are we?"

"We have about a two hour drive left and we should be there." He answered, consulting the map on his PokeGear.

"Bathroom break?" She asked him with a lift of her eyebrows.

"You knows it!" He said, and dropped a pokeball into her hand, then ran into the forest to pee.

She dropped the pokeball onto the dashboard, along with her other ones. Her eyes narrowed towards the ground and she pocketed her hands, then began to walk slowly towards anywhere.

_I still can't believe Edgar won and I lost…how is it like that? _She wondered as her eyes glued to the path, _I had way better grades then him in Strategy Class and Types Class! And History Class! Granted I copied out of the book most of the time…URG! Maybe…maybe I wasn't cut out to fight. I mean, sure, Emp and Shina are kinda good with it, but…Hm. Maybe contests would be good too…wait—where am I?_

She looked up, her surroundings unfamiliar. She was at a pond, lily pads were scattered over the surface and the Pokémon that were swimming around it ran at the sight of her. It began to get hot and the first thing she did was strip herself of the heavy hoodie. "I'm sure I went in a straight line." She thought out loud, "But I don't want to be wrong and end up lost even more…"

She smacked herself and smiled, "PokeGear! Duh!" she reached for the black and white device on her bag, but a random Starly picked it up and flew to a tree. She chased it and glared at it from below. "Give that back!" She yelled, jumping to reach the bird to no avail. It began to dig its beak into the PokeGear, pressing buttons. "No no don't do that!" She said, knowing it would break under the pressure. She stepped closer and it was close to breaking it. She stepped back and the crushing noise stopped. She continued to step back till she was at the pond, and then the Starly dropped the PokeGear in its nest.

"Darn it…" She muttered, "How am I gonna get up there?" She looked to the ground and found several pebbles. She picked one up and threw it at the Starly, but it hardly made it up there and hit the branch. _I better just practice then…I can't throw to save my life. _She picked up another pebble and threw it as high as she could. It only went up three feet before dropping to the ground.

"Wait…every time I get in a jam, isn't there always someone there to save me?" She thought out loud, she then peered around the area, "Man, they're pretty good at hiding." _But I shouldn't rely on that for petty things…I'm on my own. _She huffed and picked up a bigger rock, then chucked it into the pond. Water sprayed in every direction and several lily pads began to move. One particular one kept moving, and it seemed more solid than the other flat ones.

Then the rest of _it _rose to the surface.

"What. Is. That." Kara found herself saying for some reason.

It was a cross between a duck and a plant. It had a saucer type lily pad on top of its head, it was mainly blue with a large yellow nose that looked like a mustache, and it had six legs.

"Lotad!" It cried out, blowing bubbles at her. They popped before they could reach her.

"Lotad?" She repeated what the weird water bug was saying, then pulled out her pokedex. _"Lotad, the Water Weed Pokémon. It looks like an aquatic plant and serves as a ferry for Pokémon that can't swim._" Announced the pokedex, she pressed a different button, "_Rarity: Uncommon with the Sapphire cartridge inserted into DS." _"Wait—huh?" "_Moves: Astonish, Absorb, Mist, and Nature Power._"

"Ooooh I want a Lotad!" She said, smiling while pocketing her pokedex, and pulled out a regular red pokeball. The Lotad dived under the water, and she scowled, putting down her anticipated arm. "Do I have to _climb_ in there and get you?" She said threateningly, bubbles rose to the surface and she rolled her eyes. "Fine! Have it your way!"

* * *

"Back!" Noel called from his bathroom break in the forest. It was silent, and he checked the golf cart to see if it was his. It was. Then he found three pokeballs on the dashboard and released all the pokemon from it, and out popped Hound, Emp, and Shina. "Where's Kara?" He asked, giving them looks.

"(Dunno! She dropped us on the dashboard and left!)" Barked Hound,

"(Yeah!)" Shina agreed, nodding her head eagerly.

Noel just stared at them. "Uh...I don't speak pokemon. Sorry..." He laughed uneasily while the pokemon began to glare at him, "What? I don't have enough money for those wrist watch translators! They're like...5000 at most."

Hound snorted, and his trainer shot him a glare. The devil dog climbed up to his trainer and pawed his stomach, then found what he was looking for; the PokeGear. Hound carried it in his mouth and dropped it on the floor, then Emp began to press buttons. Noel just watched them, confused.

"(What?)" answered the call; a brownish colored bird with an angry face. "(I'm trying to sleep!)" It screamed, he picked up the device and said, "Kara? Hey Kara, did you catch a Starly? Those things are useless until they're Staraptors..." The screen began to get pecked.

"(Ooh, I got an idea!)" Shina cried out as she figured it out, she turned to Hound, "(Hound, you can sniff her out!)"

He scoffed, "(What do I look like, a blood hound?)"

"(Yeah)" Emp and Shina chorused. The devil dog sighed and swatted the PokeGear out of Noel's hand so he could stop arguing with a pessimistic bird, then hung up and left it on the ground.

"What was that foooor?" Noel whined, "I woulda won that argument hands down!"

The dog rolled its eyes and scrambled into the truck, and stuck its nose in the bag where Kara's old clothes were sitting. After getting a good enough scent he began to search the ground, his eyes brightening when his nose hit something familiar. "(I found her!)" he barked, "(Follow me!)" He ran off, followed by the other small pokemon.

Noel just watched them go off, clueless. "Wait, where are we going? I thought we were looking for Kara!" He cried out, then picked his PokeGear off the ground, tossed Barren's pokeball out, told him to watch the cart, and followed their tail.

* * *

After stripping herself of everything but her shirt and undergarments, Kara jumped into the pond, confused why it was so warm. She shook her head, not wanting to know, and began to swim to the middle, where it was surprisingly deep. With the pokeball between her teeth, she paddled towards Lotad, who spotted her and began to swim away. The chase was on, and she wasn't going to lose.

"Geh bah he!" She screeched with the ball in her mouth, making sure she didn't accidentally swallow it.

"Lotad!" laughed the floating lily pad.

"AHA!" She jumped it, knocking Lotad underwater. She got a good grip of its head and with one hand, took the ball out of her teeth and enlargened it, then poked Lotad, where it disappeared into ball.

"_Shuppet!_" screeched a pokemon above her, and blasted a black blob at her. She dove under and barely escaped the Shadow Ball, but while doing that, the pokeball slipped from her grasped just as it locked. She rose to the surface and cursed under her breath, then screamed as another Shadow Ball came at her.

_It's the same Shuppet from Lake Verity! Wait...why didn't _I_ see Mesprit then? I was in the same Lake..._while pondering this, the rouge Shuppet, without its possy, shot another Shadow Ball at her, and it hit, knocking her under water. It laughed and waited for her to resurface, and when she did, she had Lotad's pokeball in her hand. She released her new Lotad, which blinked obliviously at its new trainer.

"Swim me to the edge! And hurry! That Shuppet Puppet is trying to kill me!" Kara wailed, holding on to its lily pad head. Lotad nodded and swam like a speed boat to the edge, dodging Shadow Balls and flinging her passenger around like a rag doll.

The Shuppet started to laugh as it got closer.

"It's too fast and this pond is to darn long!" Kara muttered while riding, "What were the moves of this Lotad? Nature attack? Power of Nature?" She shook her head, then ducked as another Shadow Ball headed their way, "Oh yeah! Lotad, use Nature Power! Quick!"

Lotad span around, then gave off a faint white glow before the glow gathered to its mouth, where it turned to Hydro Pump. The torrent of water struck it home, shooting the floating puppet far into the forest. Kara let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her Lotad, "Wow, that was cool! You know, I'm not liking "Lotad" as much as I like the nickname I just thought up for you. Wanna know what it is?" she asked as they reached the edge. Lotad nodded.

"Lale!" She chirped, "Isn't it great?"

Lale turned her head to the side in confusion before nodding.

"Yay!" Then Kara blinked, and checked her hands. "Oh da—I mean urf! I dropped your pokeball in the pond." Lale rolled her eyes before going back into the water to search. Kara turned to where her pile of clothes was at and her jaw dropped. "What the…What the heck happened to my clothes?" Everything but her hoodie and shoes were clawed and ripped through.

"(She's over here!)" barked a pokemon from the bushes,

"Is she over here?" It was Noel, also behind the bushes. She squatted under the water and hid her…exposed skin. Hound came from the bushes, looked at her, blushed, and turned its head. His trainer emerged from the bushes, along with Shina and Emp. "Oh hey—" He blushed when he saw the "situation".

"You guys better turn around and bring the cart with my extra pants or get a head full of Emp's Shadow Claw!" Kara threatened as they tried to steal glances. Lale returned with her pokeball resting on her lily pad, and watched the scene with a confused face. "And when you get that, get my PokeGear back from that lunatic bird!"

* * *

**-types something witty here- -REVIEW!-**

**Current Pokemon:**

Kara

Emp - Piplup  
Shina - Shinx  
Lale - Lotad

Noel

_See previous chapters_

(Barren is a Blastoise, if anyone forgot)


	8. The Floaroma Bad Boys Part 1 of 2

**OOPS! Thanks iflip4dolphins and define-originality for telling me the chapter was same...dunno how that happened...so...HERE IT IS!**

**Anyway, if anyone is wondering about the OCs, they're coming...soon. BUT FIRST YOU MUST MEET THE _BAD BOYS_! They aren't as mean as they say they are, and some are real pansies :3 **

**Also, changing rating to T for language and fruity men :3**

**Disclaimer: Doesn't own pokemonz! Owns OCs. (The ones shown so far)**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 8 1/2  
**The Floaroma Bad Boys

* * *

"_DAY 3, Continued. After successfully retrieving my beat-up PokeGear, I called my mom (or at least tried) and told her about it. And guess what? I can't get a new one! Apparently I never got a "warranty" or whatever that is. But then Uncle Lucian appeared outta nowhere with my mom and said he'd get me a new one after I beat Crash Wake! YAAAY! Wait…where's Crasher Wake?_

"_Anyway, I caught a Lotad earlier. That thing was struggling up a storm! But don't worry, I caught it. I'm thinking of using it in the Floaroma Contest, because I think it's in about…4 days? Kayla (this _really_ bipolar chick) said it was in a week, so who knows! I'll check when we get into town. Should be in about 30 minutes!_

"_Wait…if Kayla's in Floaroma, does that mean I'll run into her! OH ARCEUS."_

It wasn't long till the 6 passengers (Emp, Shina, Lale, Kara, Noel, Kado) started seeing flowers around the dirt path. They were, in Kara's opinion, a disgusting shade of pink. The other flowers looked like simple weeds she'd see at Sunyshore, but as they rounded the tiny town, she found that it was more like a flowery farm then a village. The Pokemon Center was spotted easily from where they were and they parked in the parking lot in the back, where there were several gardens filled with bright flowers.

"I'm going to go check out the town. Do you wanna come?" She asked as they went around to the front and dropped off their pokeballs to Nurse Joy.

"Seriously?" Noel asked, propping up an eyebrow, "I wanted to go check out the berry shop! We should only spend a few hours here, then head to Eterna."

"Aww, but I wanted to check out the contest hall!"

"But you said it was in a week!"

She scowled, "If we're only staying for a few hours, then I want to scope the town!"

"But you can't go alone!"

"If you're not gonna come, then what's the problem? Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" She muttered the last part as she shoved her hands into her hoodie's pocket and walked out the Center.

* * *

Swiping his puce hair backwards and out of his eyes, Cody looked to the door of his sisters' infamous Flower Shop, where the bell at the door ringed. A short girl with dark purple hair wearing a grey hoodie and black tunic stepped in, her eyes scanning the store, bright with curiosity. On her heels was a Turtwig, although the girl didn't seem to notice the smiling turtle.

The girl then stalked off to the side of the store to look at the brightly colored flowers. Cody went back to sweeping when his two best friends, both his around his age, 16, both clad in biker gang outfits and standard bad-ass sunglasses, sauntered in. The purple haired girl turned from the flowers to look, looked spooked, hung her head, then turned back to the flowers, her face hinted red. Cody lifted an eyebrow and waited for his friends to come over to him, where he swept dropped flower petals under a random rug.

"Yo!" His bright pink haired friend, Kalib, said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "What's up my brotha?"

"Are you asking me or Shawn over there?" Cody asked, referring to Kalib's similar looking twin. The only way he could tell them apart was Kalib's rebel nose ring.

"Maybe I should be asking that chick over there?" Kalib said, jerking his finger in the dark purple haired girls' direction.

"You might as well," Cody muttered, putting the broom to the side and dusting his hands on his apron, "She was looking at you when you came in."

Kalib smirked and popped his collar, "Expected; all the ladies fawn over me."

"The table is open; go dude!" Cody said, shoving his friend in the general direction of the browsing girl.

* * *

Kara snuck another glance at them. Yup, they were talking about her. She could feel it in her bones, and felt eyes on her back. _Whoa they're hot! _She admitted to herself, _But what's with the same themed hair? Is it like that for all the locals in Floaroma? _She wondered, then something hit her foot and she looked down.

"Rex?" She said, eye lifting at the sight of Noel's Pokémon.

"(Yes!)" Rex said, climbing on her feet, making it impossible for her to move. She attempted to, but tripped backwards and fell on her bottom. "(You okay Mama?)"

"Mom?" She repeated after consulting her wrist-translator, "And yes, I'm fine…I'm used to falling over. Trust me."

"(Okey!)" Squeaked the baby turtle, and hopped off her leg, then jumped into the air in attempts to nip one of the flowers that hung over its vase.

_Arceus, I think I broke my butt! _She thought to herself as she attempted to get up, but the struggle was in futile.

"Need help?"

She looked up to the foreign voice, and felt her whole face morph into the human equivalent of a tomato. She shook her head albeit a bit too quickly, and scrambled up from the floor, then dusted her hands off on her jeans.

"No thanks! But thanks anyway." She beamed, glad that stutter-mode didn't kick in.

"Well that's great! You looked like you had a pretty hard fall…these tiles aren't the softest. I'm trying to get the owner to fix 'em anyway." The guy said.

"You know the owner?" She asked skeptically.

"Know 'em?" scoffed the guy, "He's my main man! My leader! My savior!"

_Hmm…Either the guy is gay or he's _really _religious. _Kara thought to herself, but then two other guys, the guy who was sweeping and the religious guys' twin, came over. The puce haired one with the girly apron stood in the middle, both arms rested on his two lackey's shoulders.

"Sup." The puce guy nodded, "I'm Cody, that's Shawn," he jerked a finger at the silent one, "And you've just met Kalib."

"I'm Kara." She said, and the guys nodded in acknowledgement.

"Cool. We're known as the Floaroma Bad Boys, sometimes called the Flora Gang." Cody said, flashing her his pearly whites.

She was unfazed. "Doesn't that stand for Flower Gang?"

The guys hung their heads in sweat drop at her, "Don't call it that, or we lose our masculinity!" Shawn whined.

_You're losing it as you speak. _She hid her thoughts under a mask of smiles.

"Shut it Shawn, you're speaking again." Cody snapped, then turned back to her, "So where ya from? I've never seen you here before, although by your hair you must be from some flowery town. Cherrygrove in Johto maybe?" He speculated, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Nope! Sunyshore." She chirped, then turned to the flowers, "So umm….how much do those cost?" She pointed at the pink poinsettias perched near the windowsill. Rex seemed to have chewed up half a basket of it.

Cody turned to see what she was pointing at. "Hmm…those are about fifty a bundle," then he smirked at her, "I'll give it to ya free if you say yes to a date."

* * *

Noel constantly turned to the Pokémon Center sliding doors, expecting his cheery little buddy and Kara to return, unscaved just as he hoped. He had all the boxes of berries he could carry stored in the trunk of the golf cart, and frankly, he was ready to head to Eterna before it turned dark.

To past time, he got up and started walking around the center. A bright poster with a ribbon on the front surrounded by other Pokémon caught his attention, and he stopped to look at it.

It was an advertisement for the Floaroma Contest. _4 days, _he read, _that gives us plenty of time to get to and from Eterna with the badges. _He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked to the door, where it slid open. The person that came in was…

Edgar.

"Hey dude!" Noel said, leaving the poster behind and heading towards a familiar face, "Didn't think I'd see you so soon!"

"Not in the mood." Edgar snapped, and dropped his pokeballs to Nurse Joy, "I found Kayla in a patch of flowers earlier today all bloody…"

"No way!" Noel gasped, "Is she okay?"

"She's being treated in the Clinic as we speak. I can't tell if she was attacked by a human or Pokémon…"

"Someone was attacked?" The Nurse Joy intervened from the counter.

"Uh…yes," Edgar said, "My friend Kayla. She was scratched and bruised, and her leg had this huge gash…"

"Oh my!" gasped the Nurse Joy, "I hope she's alright!" She looked like she knew more then she was letting on.

"Spill the beans lady!" Noel spat out, scrambling up to the counter, "You know something and I know it! Well I don't know _it_ but I know you know it!" He paused to make sure what he said made sense, then added "Yeah!"

"Okay okay! I'll tell!" The Nurse Joy cried, "My son Cody is a part of this "gang", and he's the leader. He's a bit of a wild man and sometimes he can get physical if he doesn't get what he wants…"

"He raped Kayla!" Edgar gasped out,

"Oh no," Nurse Joy said quickly, "He hasn't done any of that yet, that I know of…"

"I see…and where can we find this "Cody"…?" Noel asked, flashing out a random glass cup from the counter and using it as a magnifying glass.

"He should be working at my daughters Flower Shop right about now…" The nurse trailed off.

Noel's mouth gaped open, "Oh my God. Kara's at that Flower Shop!"

Edgar copied his expression, "Idiot! Why didn't you go with her?"

"I—well—umm" Noel stuttered for a reason, "I dunno! I'm irresponsible and can't be trusted! It's how I am!" He turned to the nurse, "Quick! Where's the Flower Shop?"

"At the edge of town!" Nurse Joy replied, backing up slightly. Noel sped to the door, muttering, "If Lucian finds out his niece was raped by some Floaroma Gangster, I'm _so_ dead!"

"Ahem?" Edgar coughed out.

"Oh right," Noel sweatdropped, "Nurse Joy, are my Pokémon done healing?"

* * *

Back with Kara and the gangsters at the Flower Shop…

She gave Cody a _what-the-freak_ look. _I've never been asked out before…Okay I have but I didn't say yes. _She thought to herself, _Plus this guy is hot…but I can't just say yes! But I want the flowers! Especially since Rex ate most of it! _She looked down to her shoes, unconsciously shifting side to side.

"Uhh…how about a battle instead?" She suggested, missing his crestfallen look, which recovered just as she looked back up.

"Ugh, fine. But if you lose, you have to go on a date with me." He said, and Kalib and Shawn backed him up by adding, "YEAH!"

_Man, he's so pressed about this date thing for some reason! _She thought angrily, "Fine, if I win, I get the flowers for free, and if you win, I'll accept your date thing."

"KAAARAAAA!" Shouted someone from the door, and two figures stormed in, then stood in front of her and blocked. It was Noel and Edgar, both wearing pre-set angry faces.

"Noel?" She said in a low voice, not expecting him so soon.

"I heard what "Pretty Boy" or "Bad Boy" said, and I cannot condone it! Wait...was that the right word?" He muttered to himself.

"Dude, I can't take you seriously in that hat." Cody said, "Anyway, this is none of your business. Kara, do you know these dweebs?"

"Yeah, and they're not dweebs!" She snapped, "So are we battling or not?"

"Not!" Noel protested, "Lucian's gonna kill me if something happens to you!" He began to hop up and down angrily.

"Calm down sock hat guy," Cody said lightly, "How 'bout a 3 on 3? My boys and me against you three? Two outta three wins."

"You got it." Edgar said, crossing his arms, "And after that, I've got some questions regarding about what happened last night."

* * *

**:O What happened to Kayla? Hmm...more the reviews the sooner you'll know...AND I LOVE KALIB :D he thinks he _so_ bad**


	9. The Floaroma Bad Boys Part 2 of 2

**:O The moment of truth! ? **

**Disclaimer: No own Pokemon.**

**We're doing HSA testing this week. Boo. I don't need to test this week :D YAY! This will probably be the only update till Friday, because now Ima focus on drawing everyone, from the Gangsters to the OCs :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 8 2/2  
The Floaroma Bad Boys

* * *

_Last Time…_

"_Calm down sock hat guy," Cody said lightly, "How 'bout a 3 on 3? My boys and me against you three? Two outta three wins."_

"_You got it." Edgar said, crossing his arms, "And after that, I've got some questions regarding about what happened last night."_

The six were at the back of the flower shop, and the first to battle were Noel and Shawn. Cody stood as the ref and everyone else watched from the sidelines. "This is a 1-on-1 battle with no time limit!" He announced, "So call out your beasts!"

Noel tossed a pokeball and Kado popped out. Kara made note that it was the first time she saw the fox-like pokemon battle besides the thirty seconds against Lucian. Shawn let out a high pitched battle cry and tossed his pokeball, and out popped a green balloon-like pokemon with a yellow flower perched on its head.

_Oh God, a SKIPLOOM? Out of all the pokemon in Sinnoh..._ Kara thought as the battle commenced.

"Kado, use Psybeam!" Noel commanded, and Kado released his spoons into the air, which floated in front of him. The two spoons span before slowing to an X, then it shot a rainbow colored beam in a blink.

"Jump!" Shawn cried out frantically, the Skiploom did so, barely missing the attack. Its leg was fried and it winced, but otherwise was fine. "Foo!" He sighed in relief, "I thought we were dead there! Alright! Use Sleep Powder!" The flower on Skiploom's head began to spin, releasing white powdery flakes. Kado's eyes began to droop, and he fell asleep. Then Skiploom staggered, and fell down, asleep as well.

"_Alakazam's Ability: Synchronize. If the pokemon has a status condition, the opponent that inflicted it will also get it." _recited Kara's pokedex. She groaned and yelled at it, then sat on it to shut it up before it spilled anymore beans.

"Kado, use Psycho Cut while it's asleep!" Kado's eyes snapped open and he took one of his spoons, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and swiped his spoon gruffly, a purple energy in the form of a blade forming and cutting across the ground before nailing the sleeping Skiploom. The blow was much too powerful for the small cottonweed, and it woke with swirls in its eyes.

"Skiploom's dead." Cody announced, "Alright, Kalib you're up! Get me that date dammit!"

Kalib and Edgar took their spots on the field, the breeze starting to pick up.

"EXPLOUD LETS GOOOO!" Kalib sent out a purple boom box monster, and it screeched loudly, bursting the ears of our spectators.

_God, just when I thought they were fruity. _Kara thought to herself, _At least one of them has a powerhouse. Now they seem tougher! Unless Cody brings down the masculinity factor with a Skitty or something._

Edgar fell under the monster Pokémon's howls. "Growlithe, let's go!" he released his loyal black striped pup that, even up to such a beast, nevertheless was fearless.

"Exploud, crush them with Stomp!" Kalib yelled, and the giant beast bounded up the smaller one, every step he takes shaking up the ground. Growlithe whimpered as it came closer...

"Use Heat Wave!" happy to hear a command, Growlithe roared out a stream of heat, but Exploud just took it head on and kept going, then brought his foot down hard. There was a sickly sound of bones crushing, and when he removed his foot, Growlithe had fainted. "Oh God, no!" Edgar cried out, and picked up the pup, who cried out in pain just by the slightest touch.

"I win!" Kalib sang, and returned his living death machine. Edgar fled from the field to the pokemon center, and everyone let him go, understanding why.

"And Kalib wins that round!" Cody announced, "Come on babe, it's you and me now!"

"Don't call me that." She spat under her breath, and took her spot on the battle field. _I better choose wisely…I WANT THOSE FLOWERSSSS! _She took a pokeball from her bag, then shouted, "Emporor, Time in!" Emp emerged from the ball, and fluffed his feathers.

"Cherrim, time to battle!" Cody tossed his pokeball, and a purple flower Pokémon came out, then span about.

Kara stifled a giggled, _Whoa! A Cherrim! The number one girly Pokémon known to man! And dolphins. _

"(YOW!)" Emp screeched just as a Petal Dance hit him. She blinked and realized the battle just started, then cursed under her breath when she caught sight of how many scratches the tiny penguin already accumulated.

"(No fair! My trainer wasn't ready!)" Emp protested.

"(You snooze you lose!)" His opponent sang, and released a bright glowing sphere into the sky just as her trainer commanded. It instantly became hot and everyone had to remove their jackets. Emp felt his water power weaken under the hold of Sunny Day, and glared at his opponent. "(You're lucky I don't know any flying moves yet!)"

"(Yet.)" Cherrim scoffed.

"Emp, use Peck!" Kara said from behind.

"(Wait—I know that move?)" The penguin blinked, "(Wow! I must be evolving soon!)" His beak started to glow and he rammed into the plant, making it squeal out in pain, just as it transformed into its more feminine and less gothic form.

"Cherrim, use Solarbeam!" Cody commanded, and the bright beam that was forming in front of Cherrim took no time to release itself…

"DUCK!" Kara screamed, imitating her words. Emp dropped to the ground just as the bright beam broke hell, and when it dissipated, his back was burnt black. "You okay?" She asked as she got up, and he nodded. "Good! Now show 'em your killer Shadow Claw!" Emp slashed the Pokémon, and it squealed in pain, then fell on its back, its stubby little feet waddling in the air. "Use Peck!" Then Emp rammed his beak into Cherrim again, this time flopping her across the arena like dirt. Cherrim coughed, then had swirls in its eyes.

"Kara wins!" Shawn gushed, "HOORAY!"

"Not hooray!" Cody whined, "Oh well. So you want those flowers wrapped in a box then?" He asked as he returned Cherrim.

* * *

The five stormed into Kayla's clinic room. Edgar was sitting in a chair by her resting body, shushing them by putting his finger to his mouth. Kara kneeled next to the bed and Noel leaned on the wall, next to the "Floaroma Bad Boys". Kayla's forehead was wrapped in gauze and there were scratches all over her cheeks. The rest of her body from the neck down was covered by the white hospital sheet.

_I know I shouldn't say this but...MAN ITS FINALLY QUIET! _Kara tried to suppress the smile she had from her thought, and shook her head.

"Recognize her?" Edgar whispered, although he meant to sound threatening. He just didn't want to wake her up.

The twins shook their heads. Cody's arms crossed, and he went over to the side of the bed. "Hmm...no. Never seen her before. Should I?"

"Yes!" Edgar yelled, "She was all bloody when I found her this morning in a patch of flowers! I found _this _lying in a patch beside her!" He took a dagger like object out of his back pack; the blade had dried blood on it and the hilt had the engraved initials "C.J."

"Dude, aren't you're initials C.J.?" Kalib asked, getting closer to get a good look at the weapon.

"Yeah..." Cody answered, picking up the dagger, "This is my emergency knife! But I..." He looked over to Kayla, "I never hurt this girl! Really!"

"Didn't you give that to Fios yesterday?" Shawn asked from the door.

"Who?" Kara piped from the bedside.

"No one important, really." Cody shrugged, "The dude was begging for it and I lent it to him."

"So you don't regret what you did!" Edgar shouted in rage, immediately getting shushed by everyone else in the room.

"I never said that." Cody said, then cocked his head to the door and left, his possy following to the hallway.

"Will she be okay?" Kara finally asked.

"I dunno..." Edgar muttered, "The nurse hasn't said anything yet."

"Has she come to yet?" Noel wondered.

Edgar shook his head, "Not that I know of."

Just as he said this, Kayla started stirring, slightly tossing side to side, then her eyes squinted open. "Ugh..." She moaned in a small voice.

His eyes brightened as she awoke, "Kayla! You're awake! Are you alright? What happened?"

"Edgar...?" She said in a whispery voice, "Is there anyone else there?"

"No." He lied. Kara gave him a look that he matched with another _you-know-she-won't-spill-with-you-around_ look. She immediately shrank into a chair. "Tell me what happened." He prodded.

"Can't talk." Kayla choked out, "Too much pain."

He nodded, although he knew she couldn't see him, "I'll go tell the nurse you're awake." Then left to the hallway.

Kara scooted over to Noel, "I think we should get out of here." She whispered.

"Don't leave." Kayla suddenly said, "Noel has to go though. I need to talk to you alone Kara."

"A—are you sure?" Kara asked just as Noel left, _She's gonna yell at me! I know it! And how does she know I'm here? Psychic~_

"Yeah. Now come closer, my throat hurts."

She pulled up a chair next to Kayla.

"Last night...ugh...last night was terrible. I finally got here in Floaroma, then a random Shadow Ball hit me..."

"A Shadow Ball doesn't hurt you that much." Kara pointed out.

"Shut up, I wasn't finished." Kayla snapped, and she did immediately, "Now, as I was saying, the source of the attack was this weird ghost pokemon that looked like a puppet—"

"Shuppet?"

"AS I WAS SAYING, I battled the Shuppet, caught it—"

"You _caught _the devil?"

"Will you let me finish my dramatic story?" Kayla snapped, "Anyway, while I was walking through town, I had a feeling someone was watching me, so I let Baine out, you know...my Eevee, and then he started barking, and I saw what he was pointing at...it was this dark shadow, so we started running, and then I felt something sharp hit my leg!"

"What happened after that?" Kara asked, engulfed in the story.

"After that I blacked out."

She was silent as she nodded at Kayla, then said, "Do you have your bag? Are your pokemon okay?"

Then Kayla began to cry, "I don't know! What if the man is torturing Baine and Ferrera!"

_At least she cares about her pokemon. _Kara thought to herself, then Cody came back in with his fists clenched. Kayla blushed at the sight of him, and pulled up her covers.

"You're back?" Kara spat angrily, and Kayla snapped her head to her in disbelief. What is this? _Backbone_?

He shot her a glare, "It wasn't me. It was the man with the knife."

"So? How does that help us?"

"Oh shut up, I'll go after him." He snapped, "I feel bad that he stole the girls' pokemon as well as the stuff in her bag."

"He did!" Kayla shrieked, and for the first time he realized she was awake.

"Oh, you're awake," He said, inching the head of the bed, "Are you okay? I hope my incompetent decision hasn't damaged any of your vital organs." She could feel a blush creeping to her cheeks.

"I'll be fine. Be sure of it." She said, feeling very out of character.

He smirked, "That's good." He went to the door, but stopped. "Oh—and if you hear any bloody murder screams tonight—just ignore it, and sleep tight." with that, he winked at her and left.

"Oh God he's hot, I think I just melted into pudding." she swooned, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Don't worry, you're still whole." Kara mused, _for now, at least._

* * *

**Can anyone guess Cody's last name? :D**

**Oh, someone suggest some shipping names for everyone now. I wanna draw OC shippings :D right now I only have Snobshipping for EdgarXKayla, but...how about...umm...idk. _You _think of it. I'm lazy. **


	10. Eterna, the Eternal Headache

**AHH! 2 CHAPS LEFT TILL WE UNVIEL SOME OCs!**

**Anyway, this week was so _boring_! I knew I should've stayed home...**

**Disclaimer: Can I have pokemon for my birthday? I can wait 3 months...**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 9  
Eterna, the Eternal Headache

* * *

"_DAY 4, After a peaceful night in the pokemon center—actually, it wasn't that peaceful! There were bloody murder screams coming from an alley nearby! Then when I looked out the window, I saw Cody and the twins, smirking, coming out of the alley and holding Kayla's bag! Poor Fios. Beaten to death : ( He deserves it, for what he did to Kayla._

"_Speaking of Kayla, she's still recovering as we speak. She's not due to coming out of the clinic till tomorrow. She's kinda bummed cause she can't get ready for the contest, but I guess she'll just have to lump it!_

"_Hey, you wanna know where we are? We're in Eterna Forest! There are creepy noises everywhere and I just wanna close my eyes and sleep, but I can't! The forest isn't that big and we should be out in a few, so I think I'll sing along with the radio! Eterna, here we come!"_

There was a thumping in the distance. Kara stopped her tone-deaf singing and muted the radio to hear better. The thumping sounded like rabbit feet, and she looked around, but found nothing following their golf cart. She looked up to Kado, hoping he would sense something, but he was concentrating on the road. Noel was asleep, and how he slept through her horrible singing was a mystery. She took his sock hat and whacked him over the head with it, hoping to wake him up.

"…Huh? What?" He got up and looked around, his eyes drooping. If it weren't for the doors of the golf cart, he would've fallen out.

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?"

They sat in silence (except for the sound of tires over terrain), and the thumping was louder.

"Okay, I hear it." He said, "But what's the point? It's probably just another Buneary. Those things are all over this forest."

"But it's following us!" She cried out, "A stalker bunny!"

"Yeah, so can I sleep now?" He said, snatching his hat back, and placing it over his face. She shot him a glare (although it was fruitless cause he was back to snoozing) and raised the volume of the radio. _Telephone _by Lady Gaga was on and she began to sing along again, although there was a faint sound of Starly's screeching at her to shut up in the distance.

* * *

Eterna, all in all, was not much of a city. Maybe it's because Noel and Kara grew up in the hustle and bustle of Sunyshore, but that's beyond me. I mean, them. There were a few tall buildings, a gym in the distance, an ominous skyscraper, and another vehicle shop. After parking their golf cart in the Pokémon Center parking lot and shortly healing their Pokémon, the two decided to challenge the gym.

The outside of the Gym was covered in what looked like moss, but it was really just foliage. They entered inside, meeting a forest with fake green grass.

"Oh Arceus, a maze." Kara muttered, "Do we _have_ to do this? I'm _lazy_!"

Noel grinned, "It's part of the challenge! Follow me." He led them through different shrubbery, although from the spot they were at, it looked like they were lost.

"This is useless!" She yelled, "That's it! I'm leading this party of idiots!"

"Hah! You just called yourself an idiot!" He teased.

"And you accepted that you were one too," She said, "Now let's go." She took a random path and began to follow it, looking back every now and then to make sure Noel was on her heels. Then she rammed into a sign. "Yow!" She cried out, and backed up, the sound of metal still ringing in her ears.

"Gym Leader; This Way." Noel read, and there was an arrow pointing down a path. He shrugged and the two followed the short path, and were confronted by double doors. They pushed through and entered a large arena. They were outside; it looked like the back of the gym. There were tall trees guarding both sides of the field, and there was a white pokeball painted in the grass in the middle.

"Hey!" The two turned around as someone swooped down from the roof, landing gracefully on her feet. The woman had orange/black cropped hair, wearing a black cropped turtleneck covered by a forest green poncho, and orange knee-shorts. She grinned at them, "I watched you go through the maze! You—" she pointed at Noel, "are a terrible navigator."

"Old news." Kara muttered.

"Anyway," said the woman, "I'm the Gym Leader, Gardenia! So whose here for the badge?"

"Both of us." He said, and looked around the arena, "You use Grass Types?"

"Yeah!" Gardenia nodded, "They're my favorite. So if both of you are going for the badge, I only have 3 Pokémon, so how about a 3 on 3 with both of you? It'll be a great opportunity to see how you cooperate!"

_I don't like that idea…_Kara thought to herself, _Noel's got high leveled fire and psychic types. He'll be able to win the badge without me!_

"I'll go first!" He chimed, taking his place on the battle field. Gardenia giggled and did a ninja-disappear-reappear act, reappearing on her side of the battle field. Kara leaned on a tree while the ref in blue sweats took her place.

"This is a 3-on-3 gym battle between the co-challengers Noel and Kara, and the Gym Leader Gardenia! There is no time limit, and the Gym Leader cannot switch Pokémon! Begin!"

Noel silently tossed a pokeball, and Kado popped out. As underused as he was, Kara knew how fast this battle would go. The psychic-fox smirked, and waited for its opponent.

"Cherubi, let's go!" Gardenia released a fuchsia colored plant with a second head hanging from its stem.

_It's a repeat of yesterday! _Kara wanted to yell out loud, but let the battle commence. No doubt Noel was thinking the exact same thing as he grinned deviously.

"Kay Kado! Do your own thing!" He said, trusting his Pokémon completely. Gardenia grit her teeth, knowing that she had no idea what the Pokémon was going to do. The Alakazam released his spoons in front of him, and they span while releasing a rainbow colored beam. Cherubi quickly hopped to the side.

"Use Leech Seed!" She commanded, and the pink plant spit out brown seeds at Kado, but he used Psycho Cut and split all the seeds in half, the remains just dropped to the ground. Then he released another rainbow colored beam, and Cherubi was too stunned to dodge. It took the attack, and collapsed.

"Cherubi is unable to battle!" Announced the ref.

"Okay! Kara, get up here!" He said, retreating to the tree she was leaning on with Kado. She shrugged and took her stage on the battle field.

"Emp, Time in!" She tossed the pokeball, and out popped the pumped penguin.

"(Let's do this!)" He squeaked.

"Roserade, let's go!" Gardenia released a green Pokémon with white hair and roses for hands.

_What! Noel get's a CHERUBI and I get the POWERHOUSE? _Kara cursed to herself and hoped Emp would be okay. "Use Shadow Claw!" her tone was in doubt; somehow she knew she wasn't going to win. Emp got ready to strike, put just as he did, Roserade unleashed green sea weed vines at him, slamming him onto the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of his teeny chest, but nevertheless he got up to continue the battle.

_Crap! Is he okay? _Kara smacked her forehead and waited for Gardenia's next move.

"Use Grass Knot again!" Gardenia commanded, and Roserade prepared its roses, and Kara was too stunned and mopey to call out an attack.

"(That's it! I'm doing this myself! My trainer is completely incompetent!)" Emp screeched, and rammed into Roserade's leg with Peck.

_What? He really thinks we can do this? _

"Roserade, use Magical Leaf!"

"Jump back and use Bubblebeam!" But Emp didn't listen. Instead, he took the attack head on, staying strong, still standing.

Gardenia smirked, "If he's not going to the dodge then…Keep using Magical Leaf!" The amount of multicolored leafs that were shot at Emp, scooting him backwards, wasn't even compared to how many leafs were in a forest.

"Stop doing that!" Kara screamed, "Just dodge! Move! Do something!" _Why isn't he listening to me!_

There was a loud hissing sound, and Emp was enveloped in a white blanket of light. His shape began to change, taller and a little wider, and once the glow faded, he wasn't a small Piplup anymore.

He was a Prinplup. He gained metal armor for his head, and two extra white circles on his front.

_Oh. My. God. _She smiled, then looked down to her pokedex. "_Prinplup, the Penguin Pokémon. Prinplup's always think so highly of themselves that they can never form groups." _Recited the pokedex, and she laughed, knowing that much was true, even when he was a Piplup, _"Known Moves: Shadow Claw, Bubblebeam, Peck, and Metal Claw." _

"Emp, use Metal Claw!"

Emp ignored her, and stuck his beak in the air. Roserade continued to throw Magical Leafs at him, and he continued to take them. The scratches from before deepened, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She would forfeit, just to save him from anymore pain. Then he began to give off a blue glow.

"_Prinplup's Ability, Torrent. When it is about to collapse, all water-type moves are more powerful." _Recited the pokedex that never slept.

"Is that what you want to do?" She muttered to herself, "Use Bubblebeam!"

Finally, Emp listened to her, and span on one foot, releasing bubbles so fast that Roserade couldn't retaliate. But type advantages still mattered in this battle, and the move didn't do much to it. One last Magical Leaf later and Emp was sprawled on the floor, unable to go any further. Kara sighed and returned him, then retreated to the trees and waited for Noel to finish the challenge.

Gardenia sent out Turtwig, and Noel sent out his Dodrio, which he picked up from the Pokémon Center earlier. Kara ignored the battle, ignored the fact that the Dodrio was differently colored then the regular ones, and ignored the fact that Dodrio won in one hit. She stared at Emp's pokeball, wondering what she did wrong that led him to be so defiant to her. Weren't they friends?

Noel ran up to her, holding the Eterna Gym badge delicately between his fingers. It was three trees together, forming an upside-down V. He pushed it towards her, but she turned her head at the ground, then shook her head.

"…Don't you want it?" He asked, holding his badge in his fist.

"No," she said in a faint whisper, "If a gym badge is a memory of how I defeated the Gym Leader fair and square, then I don't want it."

"But…" He trailed off, looking at the extra badge, "We were a team. I mean, sure, you lost, but we all do, sooner or later."

"Oh yeah? Well all I've ever been doing is losing. I don't want the badge. Don't bother."

He sighed, and dropped the arm that was holding up the badge. "If pride is what's pushing you to be so stubborn, then I understand." He took off his sock hat, and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Look; we can go back to Floaroma, and you can enter the contest. By then you should know whether or not you want to challenge Gardenia again."

"That's just it…" she muttered, "What if I'm better in contests then in gyms? What if…what if I wasn't cut out to be a trainer? Maybe I—"

"Now don't go saying crap like that." He snapped, "You'll do the contest, and _then _you'll decide. Not before. Ready to go?"

She nodded, then pulled her hood on, feeling cruddy, just like the Canalave incident. But this time, she knew it was all her fault.

* * *

**Sigh, another loss battle. Anyway...**

**[RANT ALERT] OMG I SAW MILKY LIKE 3 TIMES THIS WEEK AHH IM SO HAPPY :D BUT HE IGNORE ME TODAY...EITHER THAT OR SAID "WHAT!" TO ME, ALTHOUGH I THINK IT WAS TO SOME OTHER GIRL HE WAS TALKING TO. ME SAD :'l [END RANT]**

**Countdown to OCs: 2 Chapters Left**

_Current Pokemon_

Kara

Prinplup (Male) - Emp/Emporor  
Shinx (Female) - Shina  
Lotad (Female) - Lale

Noel

Blastoise (Male) - Barren  
Houndoom (Male) - Hound  
Gengar (Female) - Gengi  
Alakazam (Male) - Kado  
Turtwig (Male) - Rex  
Dodrio (Male) - Dude _PC_


	11. Galactic Yet Sarcastic

**UGH why won't school end already...**

**ANYWAY umm yeah this chapter MIGHT show some importance since I'm sorta following the Pearl/Diamond plotline, so umm...Yea? I see a lot of teasing in the future o.o**

**Disclaimer: Sigh...I don't own pokemon...I own the Bad Boys tho :3 they're not so bad.**

**AND SHAWN MAKES IMPORTANCE? Remember, he's _Kalib's _twin! **

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine Presents...  
_Episode 10  
Galactic Yet Sarcastic

* * *

"_DAY 5, We've left Eterna and are once again navigating our way through Eterna Forest. I wonder how much Floaroma has changed since we were there…do you think we'll run into Cody and his gang again? What about Kayla and Edgar? I mean…I've seen them so much this week, I wouldn't be surprised to see them again._

"_There's that thumping again. I swear, if it doesn't stop, I'M CRANKIN THIS RADIO ALL THE WAY UP! Although I better be smart about it, cause I think the battery is going to die soon :l I forgot to charge it last night…sorry!_

"_Okay, we're out of the forest. Thumping has stopped. THANK GOD. I'm gonna go nuts if I keep hearing those UNlucky rabbits feet. Noel woke up from his nap earlier, and is chatting away on his PokeGear. I hope _that_ runs out of battery. He also tried to snag an M&M cookie from my snack bag! THE NERVE!"_

The road approaching Floaroma Town was awfully long. Kara didn't remember it being that long last time…but that was only because the radio was working. It died after she banged her fist on it for the thousandth time, and she angrily shoved it into the glove compartment, not wanting to see it until it was working again.

The wheels stopped. The two passengers shot questioning looks at Kado, who just fell from exhaustion.

"Looks like its break time!" Noel sang, and hopped out of his seat, "I'll be…somewhere! And it's _not _the bathroom!" He broke off, running in a random direction with his PokeGear flashing a map. She shrugged and opened her notebook again.

"_DAY 5 CONTINUED. Noel has run off with no clue where he's going to. Should I follow him? What if he's lying and has to go to the bathroom? He's got the bladder the size of a pea. No pun intended :P" _She shrugged, closed the notebook, then let out Emp. He stared at her through his metal mask, and she shivered. "Must you look at me like that?" She asked, climbing out of the golf cart.

"(Where are we going?)" He asked, looking around.

"We're following Noel," She answered, and pointed to where he was last at, "He ran off in that direction." Before she could register why, Emp ran off in a flash, and she just stared at the spot, wondering whether to follow or not. She sighed and ran, kicking as far as her legs would let her, following the trail of penguin tracks. In a short amount of time she ran out of breath and stopped, then collapsed onto the ground in a sitting position.

Shina let herself out of her ball.

"(Let's play! Let's play!)" she barked happily, having an energy her trainer didn't possess at the moment.

"Can't—" Kara panted, "Way—too—tired!" She looked up, and found something she didn't see when she ran uphill.

It was the Windworks. There were several wind fans standing in vicinity, gathering electricity for the factory up ahead. It was a bit plain with electric rods on the roof. The only thing peculiar about it was that there was a blue bowl-headed person guarding the doors, and that Noel, Emp, and a young crying little girl, were trudging down the hill, Noel comforting the little girl.

"Who's that?" She asked, getting up from the ground as they finally reached her.

"Not sure." He shrugged, "Go on little girl, tell her your story."

The little girl sniffed, then went on about a tale where scary men dressed in freaky outfits and blue-bowl cut hairdo's, which she called "spacemen" invaded the "castle" also known as the Windworks, and kidnapped her father. The reasons were unknown, and she was kicked out. And now, here she was, waiting for her brother to come.

"Who's your brother?" Kara asked the little girl as she promised to bring her back into town. Noel went off to bring the cart to the Center and to take a bathroom break.

"Kalib..." the sad little girl answered.

"Umm…pink hair? Nose ring?" Kara began to clarify, pointing at her nose when she said "nose ring". The little girl with short pink hair nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"Kalib search for key." She continued, "Shawn too scared. He got wet in his pants while Kalib beat up blue people."

The older girl chuckled, "Wow…so where do you think Kalib is now?"

* * *

"Give me the key." He growled threateningly.

The grunt said nothing.

"I said," Kalib's voice was rising and his brown eyes were blazing, "GIVE ME THE KEY!"

"You don't scare me." The grunt finally said, but received a blow in the face, and the bones in his nose cracked. Kalib dropped the man, who was about to scurry away, only to be zapped in the back by a floating hunk of metal, also known as Magnezone. "Flower—patch…" the grunt managed to say before collapsing. Kalib scoffed and searched the man for a key, but came out fruitless. He sighed and left the alleyway.

"Kalib!" He looked up, and found his little sister running up to him and burying her face into his stomach. "Did the spaceman give you the key?"

"Not exactly Alice…" He said, patting his little sisters head, then looked up and smirked, "Oh hey Kara, didn't expect to see you so soon. Couldn't keep away?"

She wanted to roll her eyes but restrained herself.

"So did you beat the Eterna City Gym Leader?" He continued to prod her until she spoke.

"Nope…" She sighed, "I'm going to challenge her again after the contest."

"Speaking of contest," He said as Alice detached herself from him and hugged his side, "Did ya hear? Kayla's in a hissy fit cause she can't enter the contest."

"Why not?"

"Apparently she's still hurt." He shrugged, "But it's been taken care of."

"Did they find the body?"

He raised his eyebrows and laughed, "No, they didn't. And please don't mention that around my sister."

"Why? She doesn't know about—"

"No, she doesn't."

"What are you guys talking about?" Alice wondered.

Kalib flashed her a smile, "Oh, nothing. Did the spacemen let you in yet?"

"No…"

"Spacemen?" Kara lifted her eyebrow.

"Can we not talk about this right now?" He asked, "I need to get Alice home."

"Uh…okay?" She shrugged and headed for the Pokémon Center, although she had a feeling he was hiding something.

* * *

Shawn skipped merrily through the flower patches to the man who sold honey. There was loud shouting up ahead and he stopped in confusion. He looked ahead, and the "spacemen" that his little sister described before were in front of the man, both looking scarily muscular.

"Give us your honey old man!" the spaceman yelled again, and Shawn stepped closer hesitantly.

"…" The old man just stared at him.

"We need super rare Pokémon!" The other spaceman said, "Don't make us shake you down for it!"

_Shake him down? _Shawn unconsciously reached for his pokeball, _not while I'm around! This is _my _town! _

The spacemen sensed his presence and whipped around, shooting him glares.

"We'll teach you for interfering!" said one of the hot-headed spacemen, "Glameow, go!" He released a grey cat with an attitude problem. In return, Shawn sent out his girly Skiploom. Said pokemon didn't understand the feel of the situation and merrily glided around the air in circles.

The spaceman with the Glameow blinked. "Is you're Skiploom retarded?"

"Pfft! ...No! Skiploom use Sleep Powder!" the green balloon blinked, and for a second its trainer was thinking of just high tailing it out of there. Nevertheless, the flower on top of Skiploom's cranium span, releasing white powder into the area. The spacemen and their pokemon slowly fell asleep, and collapsed on the ground with a _thud_.

"Hn. What should I do from here..." Shawn speculated, glancing at the situation in front of him, ignoring his daydreaming Skiploom, "Damn! This was much easier in the games!"

Noel came from behind him, stepping forward and around the spacemen to the guy who sold honey. Shawn blinked, confused at how the red-headed teen could miss the current scene in front of him. Said person began to knock on the head of the bald honey-vender.

"Hello? Honey selling man? Can I have a jar? Hello?"

"He's asleep dimwit!" Shawn said from a few feet behind him.

Noel looked up, finally registering that people were around him. "Shawn? Oh hey! Didn't see ya there. Do you know where this old man keeps his honey? I have some money in my pockets..." to confirm his ranting, he began to go through his pockets, where several crunched up bills flew out.

"...Well no I always assumed he had it in the back..."

"Shawn! Sock hat dude!"

The two turned to see Kalib running towards them, his pants nearly falling down his legs. He stopped momentarily to pull them up then continued, although it resulted in them falling again.

"My name is _Noel_! And quit making fun of my awesome hat!"

Kalib ignored the sock hat-wearing teen to turn to his brother, "I couldn't find the key!"

"...the what?"

He groaned and pulled at his unruly pink hair, "Ugh! You're as retarded as your Skiploom! What the hell have you been doing all this time! Don't you know that our dad is being held captive by freakin' fashion weirdos?"

"Calm down man, get high on some honey." Shawn said, his brother's earlier words going through one ear and out the other.

Kalib resulted to physical measures—he back slapped his twin. Then there were two moans, and everyone turned to the spacemen who had finally woken up, groaning about how the pollen was "killing their sinuses". Kalib took one of the spacemen from the collar and held back his fist.

"Give me the key!" He yelled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." replied the man cooley. He got a blow in the face then was tossed to the side like paper.

"Whoa man! No need to get hostile! This fic is rated T!" Noel said hastily from behind the sleeping honey vender.

"Shut up Sock Hat." Kalib muttered, advancing to the next spaceman, "I know one of you has the key to the Windworks. Give it to me or else." his Magnezone came from behind him and began to spin the magnets on his sides, gathering electricity.

"I don't have it! Don't hurt me!" cried the spacemen, shielding his face with his hands. There was a _clunk_.

"Is this the key?" Noel asked, picking up a key attached to a yellow orb from the floor.

Kalib's eyes lit up from the sight of it. "That's it! Thanks Sock Hat."

Noel didn't even bother to reply.

"Okay, we're done here. But send them flying anyway, just for giving me the wild goose chase." Kalib ordered to his Magnezone. One flash later and both spacemen were sent off flying.

* * *

"We've got to try again…" Kara said to Alice, "And I've got an idea."

"How?" Alice asked, blinking like a confused toddler.

The older girl laughed, "These girls in my class said you can always guarantee to be steered to the bathroom if you're on your monthlies."

Alice blinked again.

"Oh right, you're too young to know about that. Well, if I can get into the bathroom in there, I might be able to sneak you in through a window…"

"I know where the bathroom is!" Alice beamed, finally understanding her part of the plan, "It's over there!" she quietly scampered to under the bathroom window. Kara took a deep breath and looked to the door, then fiddled with her bag. She kept a pokeball in her hand just in case, unsure what would happen.

She sauntered up to the grunts, who eyed her suspiciously.

"Umm, excuse me, do you have a bathroom?"

"Get outta here. We're doing official business." Said one.

"But I need to take care of some feminine problems!" She whined, the two female grunts exchanged glances, then pushed her downhill. She tumbled into a bush and grunted. _Crap…I thought that would really work…_her face burned in embarrassment, and Alice returned with a confused look.

"They no let you in?"

"Definitely no…"

"Magnezone, use Mirror Shot!" A blinding white orb passed by them, setting a tree a flame in the process. The orb hit the door, completely missing the female grunts that fled. Kalib, Shawn, and Noel ran up the hill, and the two girls followed.

"Hey! Wait up!" She called, catching up as Kalib unlocked the door with his key.

"Oh hey, there you are!" Noel said, "Sorry for taking so long in the bathroom. I got honey!"

Her face crinkled, "Eew, no you can keep it."

"Did you guys get hurt?" Kalib asked as he opened the door, "I want something to fight for."

"How about daddy?" Alice suggested, "DADDY!" she ran forward, but Shawn and Noel caught her before she did something stupid. They shushed her with glares.

"Only a few of us should go in." Kalib said, "More than two might throw 'em off…"

"Screw that, we're storming in!" Noel said, and ran in before anyone could stop him. Kalib cursed and ran in after him, followed by Shawn and the girls. The halls were surprisingly empty and they stopped at a door, which was slightly opened. They could hear voices.

"…enough energy for…"

"Yes so…and blow this place up."

"…the man in it?"

"Yes."

They peered in, and saw a peculiar red headed woman grinning while there was a man with bright pink hair in the back, handcuffed and gagged.

"Dad." Kalib and Shawn whispered at the simultaneously.

"Are you just gonna let them blow this place up? WITH _ME_ IN IT?" Kara hissed, and the two shot her glares to be quiet. She shrank behind Noel.

"DADDY!" Alice cried, running in. The twins ran in after her, while Kara and Noel just watched from behind the door. "Give me back my daddy tomato head!" The twins had to stifle a laugh of what their little sister said.

"Tomato head? That's totally insulting my hairdo…" Noel muttered, fingering his hair.

"I'd call you more of a…pepper then a tomato." Kara shrugged.

"Who let these kids in here?" The woman with red hair said.

"Who are you!" Kalib yelled.

"You don't know? We're Team Galactic."

"That would explain your stupid hairdo's…" Shawn muttered.

"Hey! We take pride in our uniforms!"

"I wouldn't…" he continued to mutter.

"I won't let you interfere with our plan! Purugly, go!" the red headed woman sent out a fat white-periwinkle cat.

"Magnezone, get in there." Kalib said, beckoning the flying hunk of metal from behind him.

"Use Slash!" the huge cat slashed down on Magnezone, but it did nothing but leave a scratch on his shiny coat.

"Let's end this quickly. Mirror Shot!" Magnezone exploded a shiny white orb, blowing Purugly backwards and into its owner.

"No matter, I, Mars, have collected all the energy I need anyway!" the dramatic woman said, then threw something on the ground, where it released smoke. When it subsided, Mars and Purugly were gone.

"Well. That was dumb." Kara said from behind the door.

"Sometimes I wonder about them…" Noel trailed off.

"Daddy!" Alice shrieked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said as his sons released him from his binds. "Thank you Kalib. You too Shawn."

Shawn grinned, "We know!"

"What did the people want Daddy?" Alice asked.

"I have no idea…I was asleep."

Cue sweat drop.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" Noel said out of nowhere, and ran down the hall.

"Anyway…" Kalib said, "Are you sure you don't want me to chase after them?"

His dad shook his head, "They won't be back. Not with you guys around."

Kalib laughed, "I know. My awesomeness is just too much for them."

"Right, that's it…" Kara rolled her eyes, receiving another glare.

* * *

**YAY Kalib and Shawn are friends with em now~OH and Pictures of the "Bad Boys" and the Female OCs have been made and posted! See profile for details.**

**Anyway...**

**COUNTDOWN TO OCs: NEXT CHAPTER! :O **

_At least 6 reviews if you wanna see the OCs by...Monday?_


	12. The Floaroma Contest, Part 1 of 2

**_WEE! Time to Unveil some OCS! _**

**_Unfortunately, we only get 2. Blah Blah, dont give me that look! If I showed them all at once, your brain would hurt from remembering all the characters. Like the Floaroma Bad Boys; you better get your head wrapped around them, cause theyre here to STAY! :D_**

**_Disclaimer: Pokemon and OCs belong to their rightful owners._**

**_OH! And before you read, go HERE for an Title Picture :D http:/kiara411(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Episode-11-Floaroma-Contest-166467023_**

_

* * *

_

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 11  
The Floaroma Contest, Attack of the OCs! Part 1/2

* * *

"_DAY 6, I'm training with Kalib and Shawn like crazy. We've gone over what pokemon I would use in the appeal round tomorrow—Lale! THAT'S RIGHT MY LOTAD! YEAH! I didn't even need a sapphire cartridge to get it_

"_AHEM anyway so when I asked them what happened to Cody, they said that he was having some movie-montage with Kayla. I assume they're dating now. Well. That won't last long..._

"_DAY 7, IT'S THE DAY OF THE CONTEST! I'M SO NERVOUS! Someone get me a barf bag! Okay, gross, never mind. Cody and the twins said they would be watching, and said if I won, I'd get a PRESENT! I hope its food._

"_You know, the dress I brought, this Claydol-resembling one, isn't exactly what I was planning to wear. I wanted to buy a new one at a store here in Floaroma, but then Cody said he already had an outfit bought for me...what have I gotten myself into...!"_

"Umm...are you sure I should wear this?"

"Yes yes, now get out here so we can see what it looks like on you!"

"Okay..."

Kara stepped out of her dressing stall, facing both Cody and Kalib, who weren't complained about being in the girls' dressing room. They had given her a skin-tight silver strapless top with studs on the top hem, skin-tight shiny black pants, black ankle boots with studs, and studded black fingerless gloves. They stared at her, up and down.

"That's it; I'm changing back into the Claydol dress." She said, backing into the stall.

"NO!" Cody and Kalib yelled in unison, putting their hands forward in stop-motion.

"You look great!" Kalib said,

"Yeah! Trust us!" Cody agreed.

"Well...okay..." She still felt uneasy as she took her pokeballs and clipped it to her belt.

"Dude, you are a genius." Cody whispered.

"I know I know," Kalib smirked, "I finally found a skin-tight outfit that shows enough body for our "wandering" minds." Cody gave him a look. "Okay, so Shawn found it. He has more experience in the female department in that store!" Someone tapped his shoulder. He whipped around to find a multi-colored (but mostly blonde) curly haired girl in purple rimmed glasses in a floor-long long sleeved black dress with a silver sash tied around her waist. She also had a violet/blue scarf tied firmly around her neck. Only one thing was going on in his mind at the moment—_SHE is the next one Shawn will work on._

"Yes?" He said, trying his best not to sound snappy.

The girl gave him a one over. He was wearing an open leather jacket (with pokeball symbols near the zipper), a wide white v-neck shirt, baggy jeans, and the waistband to his boxers were visible. She arched an eyebrow. "Well, I'd start off by saying, "pull up your pants", because you look stupid—"

"Excuse me?"

"I wasn't finished." The girl snapped, "It's rude to interrupt. Anyway, this is the _girls _dressing room, dolt. I suggest you and you're gay looking friend move it before my Misdreavus makes you."

"Oooh I'm _so _scared," Kalib said, "And hey, don't go on my man Cody like that. _Shawn _is the gay one."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" the girl asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Never mind. Me and my friend will be on our way—what's your name?"

"Lexi."

"Well, _Lexi_," he overdramatically said, "I wouldn't be talking about fashion like some know it all—you look like some 16th century gothic clown chick." He turned and left before she could yell something back.

_GOD I hate him! _Lexi thought, then watched as Kara waved goodbye to them, _How can that girl stand him? _She shrugged and disappeared to the waiting room.

* * *

Noel's eyes began to swish back and forth as he watched Kara pace back and forth in the waiting room. Sometimes his eyes would move...lower, but Emp and Hound were on both sides of him, resulting in several slaps in the back and face.

"Can you stop pacing? It's making me have to go to the bathroom." He said.

"No, I'm nervous! It's what I do!" She cried out, running her hand through the top of her scalp and rubbing said area nervously.

"Well...eat something out of your snack bag! That's what "comfort food" is for."

"No...I locked that in the dressing room. I don't feel like going back."

"Never mind. So how did Cody trick you into wearing that sexy costume?"

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing." He said, then looked elsewhere, not wanting to meet her glare. The contest began to start, and she took a seat next to Emp. She took his fin in her hand, then squeezed it unconsciously at the thought of being on stage. He took it back quickly. She sighed.

"I wish you'd comfort me like you did when you were a Piplup. Has evolving really changed you that much?" She asked, her silver eyes beaming anime-ishly as though she was about to cry. Emp stubbornly stuck his beak in the air and turned away from her. "I'll take that as a yes." she muttered under her breath.

"_Welcome all to the Floaroma Pokémon Contest! Meet our substitute judges, Ella Contesta, Jarret Sukizo, and the Floaroma Nurse Joy's son, Cody!"_

Noel and Kara's heads snapped up to the TV screen.

"No way..." He trailed off, turning to her to see her reaction.

"Why didn't he tell me he was judging? At least it makes me a bit less nervous..." She muttered.

"It does?" He wondered.

"Well...yeah! With Cody as a judge, I only need to win another third of the judges to have a _chance_ to get to the next round."

He sweat dropped, "Okay, so you've done the math. But are you sure Cody will say _yes_? It's called nepotism hun, he can't just pick you because he knows you."

"Oh be quiet!" She snapped, "And are you gonna keep talking like some fruity guy? I liked your annoying abbreviations better."

"You make me LOL." He said, just to annoy her. She stuck her tongue at him as the first contestant stepped on stage._ Hey, it's the girl who was talking to Kalib earlier! _She deduced.

"Ruby, Show Them Your Best!" Lexi tossed the pokeball in the air, where sparkles and stars shot out and span, disappearing quickly. A Misdreavus formed in the middle of it.

"Alright, use Shadow Ball!" the ghost lobbed a black sphere into the air, "Hold it with Psychic!" the sphere stopped in mid air. "Now use Will-o-Wisp!" the Misdreavus spit out blue orbs of fire. She placed it in a line in front of the Shadow Ball.

"What will they do with it!" Marian said from the sidelines, "It's holding up 3 moves at once! HOW DOES SHE DO IT!"

Lexi smirked, but quickly ordered the next move, knowing Ruby was getting tired from holding so many moves up at once. "Split through them with Psybeam!" with a twinge of lost concentration almost dropping every ball to the ground, Ruby released a multicolored beam from the beads around her neck. The beams cut straight through all the balls, making a weird break-through-hell noise. All that was left were sparkles.

"Whoa." Ella said, obviously stunned.

"Remarkably awesome!" Jarret commented. Everyone turned to Cody (still in his "Gangster" wear), waiting for his response.

He leaned forward. "I liked it." applause began to erupt, but he put his hand up to silence it, "I liked it, but the way the beam was pointed was dangerous. It could have hit someone in the crowd, like my girlfriend over there in the stands!" He pointed, and the camera closed up on Kayla, who was waving wildly from her seat.

Cue Kara and Noel's sweat drop.

"Nevertheless, it was good, so stop shooting me that death glare." He then clapped, and the rest of the audience followed. Lexi and Ruby left stage.

* * *

"When's your turn?" Noel randomly asked Kara as she began to pace again.

"I'm tenth." She answered while her boots clicked like a metronome. The two were lingered in silence as the next few contestants came up, but then there was a loud shriek, followed by a loud yell sounding like "_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEL_!"

He instantly froze and got up, muttering, "I'll be in the bathroom…" but before he could escape, he was tackled into a hug. Light blue and dark red hair flew, and before they knew it, both bodies were on the floor.

"HELP ME" He mouthed to Kara. She began to whistle nonchalantly and turned away from the scene. Emp followed her actions, although he was chuckling beneath all his armor.

"NOEL OH MY GOD IT'S YOU AHH I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH YOU ARE MY IDOL!" the girl said all in one breath.

"Uhh…please get off me, whoever you are, you're very out of character." He said from under her, not knowing where or how to push her off without it seeming pervy. Luckily for him, she rolled off and hopped back up like a spring. The girl had light blue hair in a long thin ponytail, all topped off by white bow. She was wearing a sparkly blue long sleeved dress.

"I'm Alta, surely you remember." The girl swapped attitudes as if it was on a light switch.

"Uhh…no? AND STOP GOING ALL WEIRD ON ME!" He cried out, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"You insult me." She said, putting her hands behind her back, "Aww, just like you did at the Pokémon League! Okay! Bye bye!" She waved goodbye and stalked off, although as she turned the corner, Noel could still feel her eyes linger on his back.

"Wooooow." Kara commented from her forgotten spot, "You're so famous that you have stalkers? I'm kinda scared now." She mused.

"FYI, I only have one stalker, and it's that freaky Alta girl! And believe me, she's hard to beat. If she gets past the appeal round, you'll have trouble."

"Thanks for the pep talk." She muttered sarcastically.

"And now our next contestant, Alta Reya from Pacifidlog Town!" The TV screen went to a familiar blunette.

Noel gasped and pointed at the screen over and over, "SEE! She's like a—a magician! She disappears one moment then pops up somewhere else the next! IT'S CREEPING ME OUT!"

"Calm down, no need to use caps." She snapped. They were silent as Alta started her appeal by sending out her Absol. The Pokémon was pretty much a black jaguar with white fur, and had a sickle coming out of the side of its forehead.

"Alright Absol, use Flash!" The jaguar began to glow bright white, and was beginning to get so blinding that it was like a second sun. "Now use Razor Wind!" In a flash, the Pokémon used it sickle to release a blinding white blade into the air, the previous move fading. After that was over, everyone blinked. The two then turned to the judges.

"Wha…huh? I totally missed it. I blinked." Ella admitted, "But I'm sure it was great."

"Remarkably blinding!" Jarret cried out, covering his eyes with his palms.

"Uhh…cool. I'm glad it didn't hit anyone." Cody said from under his sunglasses. The other judges began to glare at him because of his useful gear. Alta and Absol then left the stage.

* * *

Back with Kara and Noel, she was having a seizure.

"I'm not gonna make it, I'm not gonna make it! Lale and I will make complete fools out of ourselves! WAAAH!" She cried out, then began to hyperventilate, "I need an inhaler! Wait, I don't use an inhaler! AHH!"

"Ugh, calm down woman!" He yelled, "SYL. IBITS."

"Huh?"

"I'll be in the stands, with Edgar and Kayla. Your turn's up next; good luck!"

He left out the backdoor, and she just stared after him, wishing her only support wouldn't leave. "Kara Ryka, you're up soon." Said a bouncer from the door to the stage.

"Oh." She said, and fumbled a pokeball off her belt, then returned Emp. _This is it, _she thought as she walked through the hallway to backstage, _It's time to make a name for myself. Okay—that sounded stupid. It's time to show everyone how hard we've been working. Oh, I like that better._

After the deafening applause and the person walking backstage and passing her, she caught a glimpse of the stage. Her pupils shrank and her heart was beating quickly in anxiety. She gripped Lale's pokeball and took a deep breath. _This is it. Our contest debut…whoa. Deep breath. Calm down. BLAH! BLINDING LIGHT! _

_

* * *

_

**Lopunnu, I hate you for leaving a cliffer. DIE YOU! Err...ME!**

**I bet that's what you were thinking, huh? Anyway, review! Especially you OC ppl. Tell me if your character was awesome :D**


	13. The Floaroma Contest, Part 2 of 2

**Warning: Chapter may be long due to bad news. Further explanation at the end...**

**Disclaimer: Everything goes to everyone~yay.**

**OH have you guys seen the NEW POKEMON! AHH! The new Pokedex looks like an iPod. So cool...:P**

**

* * *

**

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 11  
The Floaroma Contest, Attack of the OCs! Part 2/2

* * *

Kara squinted through the light, shielding her eyes with her gloved-hands. She was already feeling jealous that Cody had sunglasses on. Why couldn't he share?

And before she knew it, her name was being called and she was feigning a stomach ache. "Next, Kara Ryka from Sunyshore City!" she forced herself to walk into the spotlight, her head facing the ground. If she gripped Lale's ball any tighter, it would have been crushed under the pressure. She was more focused on her shoes then the stage, and her ankle fell to the side. She quickly recomposed herself, then looked up.

It wasn't a great idea. With her heart pounding in her ears, she could see millions of eyes connecting with hers. She couldn't find any familiar.

"L—Lale, Time In!" She cursed in her head for stuttering, then tossed up the ball. A black fog was released from the ball, and the small Lotad popped out from a sparkly white beam. Kara was more calm now; with the fog up, she couldn't see anyone, and no one could see her. _Or her screw ups._

"Use Mist!" She ordered, not caring that no one else would hear her. Most of the time, no one would. Lale released a white fog, which mixed with the black fog. The two colors began to spin, and no one could see the small water bug. Until...

"Now use Absorb!" the Lotad began to suck up the fog like a vacuum. All of it was moving fast like a storm, and once all the fog was gone, the audience was visible again. _She was vulnerable again. _Lale was a different color now—with all the toxins absorbed, she had come up with a darker color, it almost made her seem like a silhouette.

_Uhh...what was that move...DAMN IT COME ON! I can't—I can't just—ASTONISH! SHE HAS TO USE ASTONISH! _Fortunately, that last line was said out loud and Lale clapped, the fog turned into black and white hands and swept like someone clapping their hands in front of your eyes. The crowd gasped, and several people screamed. Kara smirked; that was Noel. He was such a girl sometimes. She turned to the judges.

"Are all you contestants trying to scare me! IT'S A REVOLUTION!" Ella shouted. _Is that a good thing?_

"Remarkably creepy..." Jarret muttered, shivering.

"Nice." Cody said, flashing her a pearly-white smile. Kara and Lale then walked quickly off stage, then the girl found a wall and dropped to the floor.

"(Huh?)" Lale looked at her trainer, confused why she was covering her face with her hands.

"I was terrible..." she moaned, "But you were good...that's all that matters."

"(You're red.)" The lily pad-hatted pokemon pointed out.

"Yeah..." she got up, "I need to go to the bathroom and run some water on my face. Come on." she said, and the two got up and dusted off their selves, feeling proud despite what clumsiness they got their selves into.

_-insert a long line-_

"AHH! YOU GO GIRL!" Shawn cheered from the stands as Kara walked off stage. Everyone down the row sweat dropped at him.

"Sometimes I wonder how we can be related..." Kalib muttered, sitting next to him.

"Wha—but Noel's the one who screamed like a girl!" Shawn protested, not wanting to be the fruitiest guy in the group.

"DID NOT!" Noel cried out, the color of his face blending in with his hair, "Uh—uh—EDGAR DID IT!" He pointed to said person in the next seat beside him.

"Don't try to pin this on me." Edgar smirked, "What I want to know is who's gayer. Shawn or Noel?"

"The two would make a great couple if they came out of the closet." Kayla said. One of her legs was wrapped up in a thick white gauze.

"I AM NOT GAY!" Noel and Shawn yelled simultaneously, getting shushed by several people who were actually watching the contest. Cody turned from his judge box to lift an eyebrow at them. Kayla blew a kiss in his direction and Edgar fake gagged.

Kalib got up, "That's it; I cannot stand you weird people. I'll be backstage."

_-change scene! dun dun dun-_

When Kara returned from the bathroom to the backstage waiting area, she was instantly glomped by Alta. "AHH I LOVE YOUR APPEAL! I will now stalk you." She said while she detached herself.

"Uh...okay?" Kara said, backing up some.

"Did you see my appeal? Noel must see it. I bet they have it on tape somewhere..."

"I saw it, and no need to force him into watching it..."

"Oh? What did you think?" Alta's eyes were glittering as though they were shiny quarters.

_I hate it when people give me the Poochyena look..._ "It was...blinding?"

"Why thank you."

_Okay...her incredibly calm demeanor is freaking me out...I wonder when she's going to explode into crazy mode...Hm. I haven't done that in a while. _

"Hey, Kara!"

She sighed in relief as someone called her name, "Excuse me, someone needs me."

"Of course, you may go." Alta nodded, leaving her to go. A shiver ran up Kara's spine but she shrugged it off, and walked over to Kalib.

"So did Lale do as good like in practice?" she asked him.

"She did great!" He commented, "So who are you using for the battle round? Shina I bet, since you and Emp are having troubles."

"We're not having troubles!" She cried out, but by the look he gave her, it didn't look like he believed her. "Okay...we're having troubles. But I want him to be in our first contest."

"You're going to risk using a disobedient pokemon in your very _first_ contest?" He asked.

"If that's what it takes to win his trust back..." she answered, unsure. The two lingered in silence as the results were finally announced. The two stared at the flat screen TV, both silently hoping for the same thing. Eight red cards rolled from the side, then one by one flipped over, starting from first place. The last one flipped...

"I...made it!" Kara gasped, her nails digging into her palms. Excitement ran through her veins and she began to jump up and down happily, "YEAH! I made it!" she turned to Kalib, who smirked at the screen and crossed his arms.

"Good job Kara! I knew you could do it!" He said, giving her a one-arm hug. Something inside of her squealed like a fan girl. The two turned back to the screen as the cards were rearranged again.

"Hmm...I'm against Lexi." She said, her hand on Emp's pokeball.

"Oh, you mean that gothic clown chick?" He clarified, she nodded enthusiastically. He looked across the room, and found her leaning against the wall. "Be right back." He said, and jogged over to Lexi. "Hey," He said as he came over to her. She looked up at him, arching an eyebrow. He towered over her by at least 4 inches.

"Can I help you?" her tone was snippy.

"Uh, no, I'm here to help _you_." He retorted.

"Why do I need help from a stranger with no sense of style?" She snapped.

"Ouch, that hurt. Don't worry though, I forgive you." He smirked, "So you see my buddy over there, in the skin tight costume?" He pointed at Kara, who was curled up in a chair and watching the first battle between Alta and a random person.

"Oh goody, there are more of you poorly dressed drones." She deadpanned.

"Hey, she looks great! Shawn picked it out."

"Once again, am I supposed to know who that is!"

"Probably not. Anyway, I'd like to say that you have _no _chance against her." He said, now peaking her interest. She sat up straighter, wanting to actually speak to him for once.

"Oh? And how is that?"

"Well for one, she's almost 15 and you're like 11…"

"I'm 12, dolt."

"ANYWAY," he said, shooting her a playful smirk, "She's probably smarter than you, and her Pokémon have taken down great things, despite how they may seem." _That's a complete lie…_a voice said in his head, "So good luck." With that, he walked away.

Lexi crossed her arms, now feeling a lot more pessimistic about her battle. _Those two seem like close friends…he might be right. _She sighed, _Well. This is gonna end badly…_

* * *

Kara and Lexi got in their spots on the battle field, both eyeing each other warily. Kara looked behind her, spotting Noel and the rest sitting directly behind her. She gave them a look, and they just smiled and rooted for her. Then she turned away from her friends and looked at the rest of the crowd, not feeling as nervous as she was before. Somehow, she was calmer about battling then showing off her appeal, even though she's lost a lot more battles then she's won them.

"Welcome back to the Floaroma Town Contest! We are now continuing the battle round! This battle is between Kara Ryka of Sunyshore City and Alexis Schiffer of Snowpoint City! The person who loses the most points, or whose Pokémon faints first, loses! 5 minutes on the clock, _Begin_!"

"Emporor, Time In!" Kara tossed his ball up in the air. He formed in the middle of black and white bubbles, which scattered once he appeared.

"Frigid, Show Them Your Best!" Lexi released a Snover. Icicles fell to the ground like a waterfall as it was sent out.

"(Well, this is gonna be interesting. You do know which one of us is going down first, right?)" Frigid taunted.

"(Yeah, and it's definitely not me.)" Emp sneered.

"Frigid, use Razor Leaf!" Lexi commanded, wanting to win quickly. The Snover shot many green leafs at Emp from his fists.

"Spin around with Metal Claw!" Kara managed to say, unsure if it would work or not. It worked with Cody's Cherrims' Magical Leaf when they were training, so would it work this time? Emp didn't move, and they were fast leafs. "Please Emp, for me…"

He scoffed, but nevertheless span like a top on his feet while his fins were glowing a bright silver. The leafs were crushed on contact, and he finished his spin by landing in a cool pose.

_Damn it, _Lexi cursed in her head, _the guy was right. What am I gonna do…_

"Thank you Emp…" Kara smiled, "Use Bubblebeam!" Emp seemed to be listening to her now, and blew out multiple bubbles, but ran in with them, unknown to Lexi. _Wait—is he getting close to use Peck? …Why didn't I think of that?_

"Break them with Razor Leaf!" the leafs cut through the bubbles as if they were nothing, and some of them hit Emp, scratching his poor little body. Kara's points went down dramatically, and she could hear several curses matching hers from her friends behind her.

"Use Peck!" _or at least try…_

"Stop him with Ice Punch!" Frigid readied his fist, but when he was ready to strike, Emp flipped and avoided said attack, then rammed his beak into Frigid's stomach. He cried out in pain, and then was met by Emp's Metal Claws.

_Wait! I didn't say to do that! Don't go rabies on me! _

The scoreboard above them beeped, signaling that their five minutes were up. Kara was afraid to look up at the board, but did so. Her points were about ¼ more than Lexi's. _Wait—I WON!_

"Kara won the battle! She will be going to the next round!" the MC announced, and the crowd applauded. Kara quickly returned Emp, then ran after Lexi, who was storming off the stage in anger.

"Hey! Lexi!" She called, the blonde girl stopped and whipped around. They were backstage, with dim lighting. "Great job out there! Thanks for the battle."

"Keep that rouge penguin of yours on a leash." Lexi retorted, crossing her arms angrily.

"…Huh?" Kara didn't understand at all.

"Your Pokémon acted completely on its own most of the time—what trainer lets it do that? I wouldn't be so happy about that win of yours—your incompetent Pokémon could get you to lose at any time." Lexi was about to walk off, but Kara interrupted by saying something else.

"My Prinplup is not stupid!"

"It can't handle simple orders—it must be. If it's not stupid, then I advise you to buy a dictionary." With that, Lexi was able to leave completely. Kara sent a glare at her head, then muttered,

"Another Kayla with added IQ points. Just great." But something about her words hurt inside, and she looked down to Emp's ball. _He's not stupid…he's just…something._

* * *

It was finally the finals. After winning another battle with her ruthless Prinplup, Kara managed to get to the last round without her pokemon being accused of almost murdering some poor fire type. It was still intermission, and Cody joined her at the back of the stage behind the curtain to give her some good lucks. Although—"joining" in this case meant scaring the living daylights out of her, merrily by tapping on her shoulder. Her scream was like bloody murder.

"Arceus woman! Audition for a horror movie, would ya?" He whined while rubbing his finger in his ear, "I think you killed whatever was left of my eardrums..."

"I'm sorry!" she cried out, "I just want this to end already!"

"...Why? You've gotten really far for a beginner." He said in attempts to comfort her.

"Well—what if people think I'm an expert! What if I do so bad that people will hate me from the beginning?"

"...Isn't that a good thing?"

"Of course not!" She snapped, "You know that Alta girl? The one who stalks Noel?"

"Oh her? She's fierce. She like...stabbed my eyes with _her_ eyes like _knives_."

_She's like that fruity choker of yours. _She thought snidely as she glanced at the spiked choker around his neck, "Well Alta does have like, seven ribbons!"

"Really? According to her files in my "judge" folder or whatever, she only has two Sinnoh Ribbons."

"That just makes me more nervous..." she groaned, "Ugh." her stomach started feeling like it was being squished my two-ton bricks.

Cody looked out the closed curtains, "Uh oh, looks like we're starting soon. Good luck." He patted her shoulder, then disappeared down a hall to his judge chair, along with Ella and Jarret. She turned around and found Alta climbing her way backstage, holding a pokeball in one of her hands, her sleeves nearly covering her fingers.

"Good luck out there." she said, getting ready leave for the stage.

"Ditto." Kara nodded, getting ready Emp's pokeball.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, we will continue the Floaroma Town Contest! We have gone through wonderful appeals and battles, but only one will be the winner, and the winner will get _this_, the Floaroma Town Ribbon!" the MC held up a pink ribbon with red side tresses, all held together by a white pearl stone. "Let's meet our contestants! We have Alta Reya of Pacifidlog Town, and Kara Ryka of Sunyshore City!" The two girls stepped out of the curtains, then faced the crowd. Alta waved enthusiastically, getting waves back from the audience, while Kara just flashed a smile towards her friends, all clumped in the bleachers. They quickly got into their places.

"Five minutes on the clock! _Begin_!"

"Emporor, Time In!" Kara released her Prinplup, who span out upon entrance, scattering several bubbles onto the field.

"Let's go, Froslass!" Alta released a pokemon that resembled a kimono; it had a calm face and swayed side to side.

_Okay Emp, let's try to work as a team this time. _"Emp, use Metal Claw!" said penguin took off, his glowing wings behind him. Alta smirked, having already paid close attention to her opponent earlier. As a stalker, she was a great observer. She had the best idea to stop the little penguin.

"Froslass, throw him back with Blizzard." the ice pokemon lifted its hands, then released a flurry of outrageous winds. Emp was caught in the winds and was flopped about, till he returned to his previous spot.

"(Crap...)" he groaned, staggering up. He was glittering of snow; both Alta and Kara's points went down. It was madness.

"Are you going to listen to me _now_?" she asked, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Like owner, like pokemon. "(I'll do what I want.)" From there, he span on his foot and released a Bubblebeam.

"Break through it with Shadow Ball." Alta commanded. Froslass lobbed a black sphere towards the Prinplup, straight through the bubbles, causing them to burst beautifully.

_Not another Shadow Ball..._ "Send it back with Shadow Claw!" fortunately for her, Emp did as told and rammed his ghostly wing into the ball, sending it back with more force and speed, knocking Froslass off her "feet".

"Ahh! Are you okay?" Alta asked her pokemon. Froslass nodded and quickly got up from the ground. _Are they finally working as a team now? About time..._ "Use Blizzard!"

_I have to work on _his _level. What would _he _do? _"Go straight through it and use Shadow Claw!" Emp smiled, glad to hear his trainer finally commanding something up to his potential. He swam through Blizzard as though he was a flying blue bullet, his coat starting to sparkle from the snow.

Alta's points were definitely going down.

He finally got to Froslass, and with his wing that was shadowed with three pointy claws, he sliced right through her chest. She cried out in pain and staggered backwards, stopping her Blizzard attack. There was a loud beep coming from the scoreboard, and everyone looked up to see that all of Alta's points were depleted, while Kara still had about a fourth.

"...And the winner is Kara!" the MC announced, "Congrats!"

Emp returned to his owner while everyone was still cheering and applauding. She bent down so they'd be the same size.

"(How'd I do?)" He asked.

She chuckled, "Awesome of course! Are you always so reckless?"

"(Maybe we need to be more reckless. You have too many precautions.)"

"But we need them! I can't have you chewing off other people's heads..."

"(What if it was Kayla's?)"

She smiled and pulled him in for a hug. "Only when I say so." she laughed, then got up to receive her ribbon.

"Congrats on winning your first contest, Kara." Cody said, dropping it into her hand.

"Nah-uh—Emp won. I just helped." She said, attempting to give it to her medium sized penguin. He stood up proudly, denying it. She laughed and patted his head.

Alta skipped over to them. "You did great! Even the more reason to stalk you." with that, she walked away.

A shiver ran up Kara and Cody's spine.

"What is _up _with her?" he asked out loud.

"I dunno anymore..." she muttered, shaking her head while smiling.

* * *

The next morning, it was time for everyone to say their goodbyes.

"Where're you guys going?" Kara asked Kalib, noticing that Shawn was being the pack mule of the group.

"Me and Shawn are traveling on our own—Cody is going with Kayla and Edgar." He answered, not sounding so happy.

"...Really? I thought that since you were a gang..."

"...That we'd travel together?" he suggested, "Unfortunately, no. He...he just likes Kayla too much." his eyes moved towards the couple giggling by the 'Center wall. Edgar was fake gagging by Noel.

"...That sucks." she muttered, "You guys were like best friends..."

"Not anymore." He said, crossing his arms, "If Cody's gonna leave us for some chick he met a few days ago, then that's that. I'll challenge gyms by myself, and Shawn will enter Pokethalons without Cody's input. It's not so bad."

_Then why do you look so broken? _She wanted to ask, but just shrugged. "Do you have a PokeGear?" She asked, taking out her broken one.

He smirked at her, "Is _that_ how you ask for guys' numbers?"

Her face turned red and she glared at him, "Gah! It's only so we can catch up! I'll tell you when my next contest is! Oh, and where's that present you promised?"

He laughed and snapped his fingers, and Shawn came over with a box. She uncapped it in his hands, and took out what was inside. There were two things; black sunglasses in the shape of a complete circle (the lenses), and a black leather jacket with silver pokeball symbols, just like Kalib and Cody's, only in a female fashion.

"You're one of us now." Kalib said as she took them out of the box, examining it.

"...That's...weird." was the only thing she could come up with.

"You helped us out a lot, plus you inspired us to start our own journeys. We owe you." He continued on.

"I'll wear them." she reassured, "I just hope the jacket won't shrink in the wash..."

He laughed, "Don't worry, it won't." he looked up, "Looks like it's time for you to go." Noel was feverishly pointing to the golf cart.

She sweat dropped. "I guess so...so your number?" he had no idea how nervous she was when she said it. He took her PokeGear and dialed in his numbers. In return, she dialed hers in his. The three groups then waved off, going in their own respective paths, on life changing journeys...

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

"_REALLY_?"

...Or not.

* * *

**Don't say, "WTF SHES A BEGINNER ITS AGAINST THE RULES FOR HER TOO WIN ZAAAAH :(" because well...i dunno she'll lose some eventually. Let's call this luck.**

**Anyway, I lost my USB yesterday (or the night before, idk) so I don't think I'll be able to update until I find it :l it had 3 future chaps in it! NU! I can't rewrite it, only cause I hate having to backtrack. Fingers crossed that I find it... (OH and I added Milky on FaceBook! That's the night that I lost the USB! COINCEDINCE! He lags my brain...)**

**Oh, another OC to anticipate next chap! O_O MUST FIND USB!**


	14. Slate, Granite, and Other Miscellanous

**AHHH! I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT! I'd like to say sorry to you readers, blame my little sister who likes hiding my stuff. AHH IM SO HAPPY! Enjoy the chap :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 12  
Slate, Granite, and Other Miscellaneous Words that Don't Rhyme with Chateau

* * *

"_DAY 8, We've left Floaroma and said our corny goodbyes, and now Noel and I are driving through Eterna Forest. Again. _

"_So anyway...I WON THE FLOAROMA CONTEST! AHH! Honestly, I didn't think I'd win. Saying it was easy is a complete understatement. But Emp, being my disobedient Prinplup, so ruthless...KILLED THE COMPETITION. YEAH. Oh, and my best friend Tasha (who I'm sure you'll meet sooner or later) saw my costume and said... "Wooooow..." and I was all "What's that supposed ta mean?" and she just smiled at me, and hung up. Rude much?_

"_Anyway, I swapped numbers with Kalib, Cody, pretty much all my friends this morning. They even gave me a LEATHER JACKET? I was like, WTH, (okay, so Noel's habits are rubbing off on me) and Kalib was like, "You're one of us now" hardy-har-har. Does that mean that I have to _act _like 'em too?_

"_Stop. There's those rabbit feet. AGAIN."_

"Do you hear that?" Kara asked, looking around.

"Nah...no...why?" Noel asked, muffled by his hat. He was half asleep, even though the radio was clearly blasting in his ears.

"How can you not? That thumping—it's driving me nuts!"

"Hun, you're already there." He muttered under his hat, resulting in a shove from the female beside him. Suddenly, the golf cart jerked to left and tipped over, but stopped in mid-air. Noel was afraid to look beside him, because he was sure he'd see the ground. "K-Kado? Can you tilt us up please?" the fox agreed and everything was well once again as the tires of the cart hit the ground.

"What was that?" Kara shouted, still clutching the bars of the cart for her life as though they were still tipped over.

"Hmm fascinating..."

The two passengers swapped looks before peering over the dashboard. Lo behold, the reason why they almost crashed into one of the millions of trees in this forest; a person kneeling on the ground, observing a...rock. The guy had brownish/grey hair in a Justin-Bieber style, although it was a bit longer. He was wearing a blue shirt, a wind breaker, boot-cut jeans, Nike shoes, and had aviator sunglasses perched above his hair. Several pokeballs lined his belt, and there was large apricot bird looking over his shoulder; a Pidgeot.

"Hey you! Get out of the way!" Noel shouted, pointing accusingly at him as though he was a boulder that could talk.

"Huh?" the young fourteen year old tore his eyes away from the rock. "Yes talking vehicle?"

Cue Kara and Noel falling anime-style.

"Up here Justin-Bieber-Look-Alike!" she snapped, and he tilted his head upwards.

"Oh, hello travelers."

"Hi, whoever you are. Can you move so we can continue down the road?" Noel asked patiently, feeling very out-of-character.

"Nope! I must examine this rock. It holds the mystery to the Old Chateau somewhere in this forest!"

"Umm, that rock won't tell you anything." Kara said, "And we passed that Chateau a few minutes ago. It's over there" she pointed behind her, and there it was; the young man could see the top of the Chateau from here.

"AHH! There it is! Thank you grape girl!"

"Grape girl?" she cried out, "I'm Kara, not grape girl!" she fake sniffed. _Out of all words to describe me?_

"And I'm Noel," Noel introduced, "And who are you?"

"I'm Slate, and this is my Pidgeot, Lenze." Slate said, gesturing to his bird.

"Oh joy, your name matches the stone your obsessing about." Noel muttered out loud. "But this Chateau thing sounds interesting. Hey Kara, wanna go there?"

She nodded, "Sure, anything to get rid of those rabbit feet I keep hearing."

"Buneary's are so cute!" Slate said out of nowhere.

"You're probably right! So hop in stone guy, we're heading to the Chateau!" Noel said, pointing dramatically in the Chateau's general direction.

* * *

The trio quickly arrived at the front of the Chateau. The building looked about four stories high and left an ominous shadow opposite to where the sun was facing. Kado stayed behind to watch the cart while Slate went in with his Pidgeot, Noel with his Houndoom, and Kara with her Shinx in her arms. She politely knocked on the door, and received looks from the guys.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Woman, that's not how you get inside!" Slate snapped, and went up to the door, and began to bang as loud as possible, "YO! OPEN UP!" His hands began to turn red.

"Melt the door down Hound!" Noel said, and everyone stepped aside as the devil dog released a fury of bright flames on the door. It fell forward, and the two sweatdropped from the sidelines.

"Huh. I was about to do the same thing." Slate muttered while his large bird began to fan the flames out with its wings.

"…I have the feeling that we should run now." Kara muttered, and Shina meowed in agreement.

"Ugh you're such a girl!" Noel cried out, stomping forward, "Come on Slate! Let's explore this place without her!" The other guy agreed, and they quickly left her at where the door used to be.

"(Number one rule; always let the main characters go in first. They're most likely to encounter the plot faster than the others.)" Shina said, hopping out of Kara's arms to lead.

Her trainer laughed, "When did you get so smart?" They looked around; it was a little dark and the hallways seemed to wind down the weirdest paths. There were hundreds of doors, and Kara was curious to open them all. Shina's coat began to shimmer brightly, illuminating the large foyer. Said cat was shaking all over. "Are you okay?" Her trainer asked hesitantly, bending down to pat her head.

"(I can feel something…)" Shina shook, "(C-can we leave now?)"

"No way! I'm not letting the guys call me a chicken." _Although I am afraid of the dark…darn you non-sunlight areas._

"(I'm not going any further.)" Shina said boldly, sticking her tail up snottily. She received a playful kick in the side that inched her farther from the door.

"Come on fraiddy-cat," teased her trainer, "I'll walk in front if that makes you feel any better." She took a right down a hallway, and the blue/black cat followed cautiously, her fur glimmering brighter the darker the hallways got.

Soon the duo arrived at a kitchen. Shina stepped on a pan that was lying on the floor and cried out in shock, letting out a flurry of electricity. The lights suddenly cut on, and it was confirmed that they were definitely in the kitchen.

"Huh. Looks like you cut on the lights." Kara said, looking around the kitchen. She immediately went for the fridge, and when she opened it, she was delighted to see it fully stocked. She went straight for the tub of mint ice cream, and Shina rammed into her leg to stop her from eating it.

"(Eew! Don't eat that! You don't know how long it's been in there!)" She squealed, trying to close the fridge, but a certain someone's leg was in the way.

Kara checked the expiration date, "Aww, but it's still good for another week!" she uncapped the lid and dipped her finger in the dessert. "Yup, it's still good." She was about to search for a spoon, but the fridge suddenly mutated and closed. It had eyes, and the girls' eyes bugged out and they started to walk backwards. The fridge opened, now empty, and began to whip icy winds at them.

"NOOO! I NEVER GOT A SPOON FOR MY ICE CREAM!" Kara wailed as they ran out of the room.

* * *

While Kara was having her own episode, Noel and Slate were walking in a dark hallway talking as though they had known each other for years. Which is why, after five silent seconds, Slate asked, "How are you able to keep conversations up with strangers?"

"Simple really," Noel shrugged, "I'm comfortable with everyone! I'm an open book! You can ask me any question and I wouldn't be hesitant to answer!"

"Really?" Slate wanted to test it out, "Who's the first girl you met?"

"Seventy-eight!" Noel answered quickly, and Slate gave him a look. "What? That's not a person? OOH WHATS THIS?" He ran up to a door that was slightly open with a blue light coming out of the crack; pulling it fully opened he found himself in a room with no lights on; it was completely empty except for the TV straight ahead, illuminating the room with an eerie glow that seemed to be on a perpetual fuzzy screen, no matter how many buttons he pressed. "Damn, no TV for me…" he whined as Slate joined him in the room.

"Is there a light switch in here?" He asked Noel, his hand lingering on the wall as if that was where the switch was.

"I dunno!" Noel snapped, "Help me fix this thing! I'm missing my soaps!"

"You watch detergent?"

Noel shot him a look and began to bang on the TV in hopes that it would do something. The lights cut on. Unfortunately, the TV was still the same.

"I give up." He mumbled, and turned around to leave,

"AHH IT HAS A FACE!" Slate cried out, and Noel turned around to see what he was talking about.

And yes, there was a face on the screen. Well—the screen was the face, and there were eyes and a smile.

"Huh. I don't remember turning it to that channel. OMG WHY IS IT GLOWING" Electricity cackled from the screen and shot at both guys, luckily they moved out of the way at the nick of time. Hound and Lenze immediately stepped up to fight the appliance, but the large bird wound up getting hit by another electric attack. Hound growled and used Flamethrower on it, but the face suddenly disappeared, and he ended up melted the TV.

"NOOO! It had its whole life ahead of it!" Noel moped.

"I know what it is!" Slate said, and pulled a book out of his bag, then began to viciously turn pages, "It's a—a something! It's this!"

"That's a piece of Jell-O"

"Under that!" he snapped.

"Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. If you see an appliance with eyes, run for your…lite? What?" Noel read.

"No, it's a typo. It said life."

"OH well…it's gone now." Noel shrugged, "We better find Kara and make sure she doesn't get caught in its tracks."

"Aww…but I wanted to try the Gateau!"

Noel gasped, "They have _Gateau _here?" Slate nodded, "Then what are we doing here! LET'S MOVE!"

* * *

Back with Kara…

The two finally stopped running, but ended up in the backyard of the Chateau. It was pretty much just…greenery. Kara groaned while still holding the tub of ice cream, still wishing she had grabbed a spoon before the rouge refrigerator started to attack.

"(Are you still eating that?)" Shina barked, "(Gross!)"

"It's good! Leave me alone!" Kara whined in response, using her finger to eat the dessert.

There was a thumping, and she groaned. "Not _that _again! How many rabbits are in this friggin' forest—!" she was attacked from the back, hitting the ground with a loud _thud_. The ice cream was dropped upside-down—and she groaned. Again. When she tried to get up, something pulled her bag off her shoulder. She looked, and found a brown rabbit with apricot colored fur going through her bag.

"Hey! That's mine! Quit it!" She whined, "Shina! Do something! It might find my snack bag!" The blue/black cat rammed into the Buneary, her fur sparkling with electricity. The Buneary grunted from the hit, and the bag flew up in the air, several things falling out. A shiny compact mirror was part of that and hit the ground. The rabbit squealed in happiness and picked it up, then began to hop away.

"Wait—that's mine you little thief!" Kara cried out, gathering her stuff, "Shina, go after it!" Shina nodded and began to chase the rabbit inside the Chateau. There was a loud cutting noise and Kara turned around, and found an old fashioned lawn mower with eyes and teeth coming after her.

"Not again!" She whined, hurriedly picking up her bag and running inside, just a little grouchy that she had to leave her snack bag filled with chocolaty goodness for the evil lawn mower.

* * *

Back with Noel and Slate…

"Where's the kitchen?"

"I'm assuming where the oven is" Noel answered absentmindedly.

The two were aimlessly walking through the first floor of the Chateau—on their little adventure they managed to cross twenty doors of empty space, and found their selves encountering several Ghastly's who looked like the dark side of the sun. They also passed several rooms with TVs that still didn't work—what a bummer.

They finally stumbled into the kitchen—

And it was a wreck. Tables over turned, bits of ice cream on the floor, and _no _fridge.

Madness.

"No!" Slate cried out, "The crooks took the fridge! WITH ALL THE PRECIOUS GATEAU!"

"Hm. Ice cream." Noel looked down to the floor, "Yup, it was Kara's doing."

"Your friend stole a _fridge_?"

"Apparently," Noel shrugged. Something began to run around his feet and he tripped, falling on his butt. He grabbed both animals—one was Shina and the other was a Buneary gawking at itself in the mirror—and shot them looks. "What's going on here? Did Kara catch this Buneary?" he looked at Shina for the answer, who was dangerously being held up by the tail. She hastily shook her head in response.

…Then the fridge came trudging in.

"BARNEY!" Slate cried out, and ran over to glomp the appliance. In reply, it opened its doors and blasted him with cold airs, making him retreat backwards.

"No, it's Rotom!" Noel clarified, "Get it out of the fridge so I can get the Gateau!"

"What do you want me to do? Tickle it?" Slate spat in confusion.

"(Can you let us go now?)" Shina asked, still dangling. The Buneary across from her stuck her tongue out, being held by the ears.

"Oh right" Noel muttered, forgetting all about them, and placed them on the ground. Shina, now free from his clutches, tackled the Buneary, who dropped the mirror. It cracked on the floor, and both Pokémon froze, staring at the shattered pieces in disbelief.

"(Great! You broke it!)" the rabbit screeched.

"(Me? B-but you were holding it!)" Shina replied, scared of what her trainer would do if she found out.

The fridge boredly stared at the two Pokémon, then it lost its face and eyes—and out jumped a thunder-bolt-resembling Pokémon covered in a clear coating.

"There it is! The Rotom!" Slate exclaimed, "How fascinating!" He stooped down to examine it, but ended up getting hit by another Icy Wind attack. He coughed out snow. At the same time Kara ran into the room, exhausted by the minor exercise required to make it here.

"You—guys—wouldn't—believe" she looked down to Rotom, "Those eyes! Those jagged teeth! IT'S THE DEMON LAWN MOWER THAT ATE MY SNACKS!" She cried out, shrinking behind Noel, completely dismissing that fact that a wild Buneary and her Shinx broke her mirror.

"No, this Rotom must be a different one then the one you're talking about…" Slate muttered, "It couldn't have gotten hear that fast."

"Ahh…it's a Pokémon-version of that Alta girl…" Noel whispered in a creeped out voice. He tiptoed passed Rotom and opened the fridge, but was disappointed to see if empty. "Waah! There's no food in here!" Cue his stomach imitating his Houndoom's growl. "Avenge my food Hound! Faint Attack!"

The loyal blood hound disappeared into the shadows and struck, spinning the poor ghost like a top.

Kara wanted to avenge her snack as well. "Shina, use Night Slash!" the kitty ignored glaring at the Buneary and went to strike at Rotom, but it was able to dodge the quick claws of death. The Buneary seemed like it wanted to help and crashed into it with Frustration; although since Rotom was a ghost, the rabbit just phased through it and hit the fridge.

And a secret compartment opened.

"SQUEE!" Noel yelled at the top of his lungs, and lunged towards the Gateau. Rotom escaped out the room, and Kara and Slate just watched after it.

"…Your friend is such a girl." He muttered to her.

"Tell me something I don't know…" she muttered back. She looked over to the Buneary, who was still looking at the shattered pieces of mirror in dismay. She silently scanned the rabbit with her pokedex, shrugged, and tossed a Great Ball at it. The ball moved side to side before locking shut, and she picked it up and stashed it into her bag.

"(I-I'm sorry about your mirror. A-are you mad?)" Shina asked hesitantly.

"Mad? That was Noel's mirror…" her trainer laughed, "We could always get another one later." She got up and looked over at Noel, "HURRY UP NOEL! GET A BOX OR SOMETHING, I NEED TO REFILL MY SNACK BAG AT ETERNA!"

* * *

**AHHH! I still can't believe my sister hid my USB...sigh. Anyway...I'll kill her later. So Review?**

**Oh, and I'm glad you guys like Slate. :O he's like a smarter version of Noel to me**


	15. Don of Another Part 1 of 2

**I'm great thanks for asking :D you didnt? Your loss :o**

**Anyway, before we start this, I have a warning message...I DONT OWN POKEMON, SLATE, OR DON. Oh, and when you meet Don, just go along with it :P don't act confused...**

**OH! And before you read, check out the OPENING PICTURE! (Contains Spoilers :o) http:/ kiara411 . / art/ Episode-13-Don-of-Another-169059662 (remove the spaces)**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 13  
Don of another Weird Rescue Mission Part 1/2

* * *

"_DAY 8, CONTINUED. After a weird encounter with some genius Justin-Bieber look alike (that would be the 5__th__ one I've seen this week O_O) and a tour through a really dusty building…we now have 2 new travel mates. One would be this stalker Kayla-like Buneary that's been following me ever since we first entered the forest a few days ago—I caught her, named her Lunybuny, but shorted it to Lun because I can't spell. Damn you broken spell check!_

"_Our second member is the aforementioned Justin Bieber look-alike Slate Crimson—how he was added to our little group went a little like this…_

"Please?" Noel pleaded.

"No." Kara deadpanned, crossing her arms.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"_PLEASE?_"

"_He wore me down! Slate has to sit next to Kado cause there's no room in the front :3 apparently Noel said that the "masculinity" factor of the group was unbalanced, and Slate was needed. I wonder about him (Noel) …anyway, Slate already has 6 badges; he only needed a ride to Snowpoint City. I had in mind that we would split in the place between Solaceon and Veilstone. Ain't it grand? That was sarcasm if you didn't understand it, whoever you are."_

The golf cart soon rounded the Eterna Pokémon Center. Slate and Noel hopped off, then presumably dumped their pokéballs on Kara's lap. "Wha…?" she started.

"You're in charge of Pokémon healing duty~" Noel sang.

"Yeah!" Slate agreed, and the two were about to escape from her, but then some random man ran to their cart, looking frantic/hysterical.

"You! You there in the golf cart! I need your help!"

"I don't see why random people run up to us and ask for help…these aren't the games" Kara muttered as the man finally got to them.

"Do I know you?" Noel wondered, giving the man a one-over, "You used to have a Canadian accent!"

"Oh, you must be talking about my obnoxious cousin who owns the Sandgem vehicle shop. He thinks he's Canadian." The man said, "Anyway, Team Galactic stole my Pokémon! My cousin said that the people who had this golf cart could help me! And when I tried to stop you when you entered town, you nearly ran me over!"

"They do that a lot" Slate muttered under his breath.

"Team Galactic huh?" Noel said, looking upwards for some reason, "We met 'em once. Not much of a tough group…I guess we could help."

"Joy!" The man squealed, and ran off.

"Well, me and Slate will go," he continued on, signaling for Kado to follow as he walked away, "You still need to heal the Pokémon!" he was directing it to Kara.

She watched them leave, sending them looks that could kill. _What am I, Nurse Joy?_

* * *

"Get back here, dammit!" Don yelled, frantically chasing a strange girl with spiky tom-boyish periwinkle hair. The girl giggled, having been able to run much faster and gain more distance than him. In an instant she disappeared into the air on her Togekiss, an airplane-like Pokémon with red and blue triangles speckling its coat. Don reached for his Pidgeot's pokéball, but once he looked in the sky, he realized his target had already escaped. He cursed under his breath as his Luxio finally caught up with him, yipping in apology for getting distracted at an ice cream stand.

"Alright Delux," he sighed, facing his Pokémon, "We should get—"

That familiar giggle rang through his ears and before he knew it, he was knocked down with his black leather jacket pulled over his head from the bottom. He groaned and struggled to get up. When he looked back up at the sky, the girl with the Togekiss was still gone. And what's more, so was his Luxio.

All that were left were its sunglasses.

"Dammit!" He yelled, glaring at the sky, "Not again!"

* * *

While Noel and Slate were off to do who-knows-what, Kara went alone to the PokéMart to revive her fallen snack bag; such a brave warrior. It took several minutes to walk to said store from the 'Center, but with a little mutated device like cell phone, she was able find the company that wouldn't make her seem less lame.

"I know! And the weirdest part about—" she stopped when she was at the doors of the PokéMart, "Oops, I'm here. I'll talk to ya later Tasha." She hung up the PokéNav, then pocketed said device as she walked through the door. She skipped right past the food isles and headed for the candy/snacks isle. After picking up an assortment of bags, she realized she would need a basket, then cursed stuff under her breath and dropped all the stuff back on the shelf, then turned around—

And bumped into someone else.

"Oh sorry!" the two chorused, quickly/slowly spinning around to face each other. (Depends on who you are)

The guy she bumped into looked like someone who had already seen half the world; he was about sixteen, seventeen maybe. The first thing she noticed about him was his piercing green eyes; they stabbed her like knives. He had short black army cut hair, and was at least a head taller than her. He wore a black leather jacket with a red stripe trailing along the spine, although it looked a bit ruffed up and dirty as if he had fallen while in it. He also wore an Umbreon themed shirt and gloves, dark jeans, and tall converses.

She looked in his basket; it was filled with the exact same items she had picked, although the majority of the items were chocolate.

"Wow…just when I thought _I _was a chocoholic…" she muttered under her breath.

"Hey!" He whined, "I-I-err-"he stammered, unsure what to say to cover his chocolate fetish, "They were on sale!"

"Food doesn't have a sale!" she retorted.

"Yeah it does! I have a coupon to prove it!" He said, holding up a small slip of paper.

"'Buy one box of con—'"

He turned red and swiped the coupon back, "Oops! Wrong one…"

"You have scarred my eyes." She muttered, face palming. She was also stifling a laugh. The PokéMart doors slid open and a Shinx trotted in, finding her trainer immediately. She sat next to her feet and looked up to the boy, tail wagging.

"Shina? What are you…—how did you get here?" Kara stammered, creeping down to her Pokémon, hoping none of the others escaped as well.

"Aww, you have a Shinx too? Reminds me of my…" the boy stopped, as if hurt by his reminiscing.

"Reminds you of your what?" she asked, looking up from her spot.

"Nothing." He muttered, and continued his shopping. She shrugged and continued to interrogate her Pokémon.

"Okay, spill. When, where, how?"

"(We are not on a mystery TV show...)" Shina muttered, "(Any who, I'm not going to bother answering those questions, because I forgot them.)" she received a lifted eyebrow look from her trainer. "(Okay, I kinda ran out the room before the nurse lady could stick needles in me.)"

"…What the heck?"

"(Yeah. I don't like needles.)"

"Not that. I can't believe you interrupted my food spree because of pointy objects…" Kara muttered, "Oh well. I guess I can come back later. Let's get back to the Pokémon Center." She said, beckoning for her Shinx to follow as she dashed for the exit.

The boy from before watched, a frown planted on his face as he watched the Shinx leave. He looked down to his hand, where black sunglasses sat. He sighed, shaking his head. Across the lot was the Team Galactic headquarters, the place that held his Luxio. He couldn't believe that that strange girl was able to abduct his Pokémon so quick. While paying for his sweets, he had a pokéball stored in his pocket, rattling violently, wanting to help him across the thin trees that guarded the tall building. But as the boy exited the PokéMart, it looked like two guys were already ahead of him, burning down the trees with a Houndoom.

* * *

Slate and Noel stared blankly at the row of trees that eliminated passage into the tall, ominous building. There was a second where a blurry white object in the sky zipped into the building, but the two decided that they were just seeing things, and ignored it.

"So. How do we get through?" Noel asked, rocking on his heels.

"Well." Slate said, momentarily snatching something out of his book bag, "We can BASH IT DOWN!" he then began to strike the thin trees with his bat, while his companion beside him wondered how he could fit that in his bag. After about ten swings, he gave up, dropped the bat, and collapsed on the ground in defeat.

Hound sighed, the thought of "stupid owners" running through his mind.

"Hmm. Maybe we can do that cat-woman thing!" Noel suggested, "You know, like how she slid out of the jail bars?"

"Oh yeah!" Slate beamed, "Lemme' try! I'm skinny."

"Wha—so am I!"

"Tell that to your so called "muscles"."

"Hey, I lost a lot of pounds, considering how much I eat!"

"Take off your girdle, I think I found it."

"I'm not wearing a girdle!" Noel shrieked, visibly pink, "Now go do the damn cat-woman trick already!"

"Okay okay!" Slate laughed, backing into the trees, and scanned how thin the trees were. They were narrow like bamboo shoots but were ridiculously tall. He tried to wedge his hand between two rods, but they were so tight together that the pressure was unbearable and he pulled his hand back. It was red. "Aww! The tree bit me!"

"Damn, if we can't slide through, then what _can _we do?" Noel said, exasperated.

Hound coughed inconspicuously.

"Hound, can you please stop coughing, I'm trying to think of a way past those damn trees."

"Man, you're vulgar when you're upset." Slate muttered.

Hound coughed again, and wisps of fire dropped off his tongue.

"Really Hound, you're not needed in this situation." Noel said, waving him off, "Besides, shouldn't you be at the Pokémon center? I swear I took Kado…"

Kado, forgotten at the side, rolled his eyes.

_Noel, I fear you do not understand your Pokémon's prowess. _The psychic voiced in both the guys' minds.

Noel groaned, "Kado, as smart as you may be, you do not know—WTF HOUND!" both guys fell backwards as the devil dog roared out flames on the trees. The trees instantly shrank to a miniscule size, either that or wilted away from all the heat.

"Huh. Why didn't I think of that?" Slate muttered.

"Who cares? We gots a Pokémon to save!" Noel said, and the four figures quickly ran pass the shriveled trees into the building, completely missing the fact that someone was following them in.

* * *

**:O GASP! So epic. So we have 2 new characters joining our cast today, one is Don and the other's name hasn't been revealed yet.**

**OH! Pics of Slate and Don are now up. Check profile for details.**

**Also, because I forgot this last chap...**

_Current Pokemon_

Kara

(MALE) Prinplup - Emp/Emporor  
(FEMALE) Shinx - Shina  
(FEMALE) Lotad - Lale  
(FEMALE) Buneary - Lun/Lunybuny

Noel

(MALE) Blastoise - Barren  
(MALE) Houndoom - Hound  
(MALE) Kado - Alakazam  
(MALE) Dodrio - Dude _PC/Home  
_(FEMALE) Gengar - Genji  
(MALE) Turtwig - Rex


	16. Don of Another Part 2 of 2

**Thanks to Silver Don and Teddiursa97 for being the only reviewers last chappie :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 13  
Don of another Weird Rescue Mission Part 2/2

* * *

After buying her snacks and collecting all the healed pokémon, Kara and Shina were pretty much bored on the couch of the Pokémon Center. The trainer, bored, looked out the clear 'center windows, and stared out into the scenery. Far down the street on the left she could see the PokeMart, which kicked her out for her excessive sweets shopping (that would be the _5__th_mart that she's been banned from this week), and across from it was the same ominous building that freaked her out a few days ago. Something brown landed in front of the 'center doors—she gasped dramatically and tried to figure out what it was.

The figure was a pokémon—looked like a lion with a face plate—and also had a white cape and black braces around its legs. Her pokedex that unfortunately has no off button began to talk from her pocket. "_Entei, the Volcano Pokémon. One is born with its very own Volcano._" Before the pokedex could scan anymore info on the magnificent creature, it disappeared from sight, but reappeared down the street.

"I think that's a legendary pokémon!" Kara cried out to Shina, "Come on! Let's follow it!" the pair ran out the 'center and down the street, going surprisingly fast for people who were as slow as frozen syrup. From where they were they could see Entei burning down the trees with an amazingly bright Fire Blast, then disappeared, probably into a building. When they caught up to the killed trees, they found a huge hole where the door used to be.

"(S-should we go in?)" Shina stammered, shaking in fear and glowing, and the pokedex that was probably alive started to laugh and explain further on Shinx's defense system.

Kara shoved her pokedex into the farthest compartment into her bag, that way it would shut up. "Yep! We're going in!"

"(I was hoping you wouldn't say that...)" the cat muttered, following hesitantly behind her trainer.

* * *

Slate and Noel walked aimlessly around the scarcely inhabited building, silently gliding up staircases as their Alakazam led the way, claiming to have seen the pokémon in a vision, bound up at the top of the tower. While they were running through another dark hallway, they ran into something. It was a girl—spiky periwinkle haired with cobalt eyes. The girl was wearing a strapless white leotard covered by a black tutu, black ballet slippers, and had a grey cloak with a gold 'G' emblazoned on the back draped over her shoulders. The girl groaned, got up, and quickly escaped down the stairwell the guys had previously gone up.

"WTH was that..." Noel groaned, caressing his head that previous hit the wall of the narrow hallway.

"Ahh...want the latest pokedex for Christmas mom..." Slate muttered in a delirious state, his head floating around his shoulders in circles.

The two sat in silence, their heads spinning, till they heard more running coming from the other stairwell. A figure appeared out of the door and ran down the hall, but didn't see the two males and tripped over their legs, skidding across the floor with his jaw rattling. His Glaceon was on his heels and tripped as well, and possibly skidded father. The blue fox whined to its trainer, who could only express sympathy by groaning.

"Who are you?" Noel spat, finally recovering from his head trauma.

"I'm Don." the guy answered, getting up off the floor.

"According to your trainer card your name is Theodore Donatello" Slate pointed out, holding a credit-card sized card in his hand, then gasped, "You have 6 badges _too_! No fair!"

"Hey, give that back!" Don cried out in embarrassment, snatching the card and pocketing it, "I go by Don! Nothing more!"

"Okay, _Theodore_." Noel giggled.

Don just shot him a glare, "Okay, so who are you people?"

"Noel."

"Slate."

The guys said their respective names.

"Okay...?" Don looked down to his pokémon, "This is Chill." He gestured to the Glaceon, "So what are you guys doing here? This is a dangerous place."

"Hard to tell when it's empty..." Noel muttered.

"We're on a rescue mission!" Slate chirped, catching Don's interest, "The Eterna Vehicle Owner's pokémon was stolen! This Alakazam is leading us." He pointed to Kado, once again forgotten in the background.

"Weird, my pokémon was stolen too..." Don trailed off, as if still remembering when his precious Luxio was taken, "Follow me guys, I know the way."

"_Actually, you've gone in intricate circles._" Kado voiced in the trainers' heads.

"Why don't we follow that blue headed chick?" Noel asked.

"You saw her?" Don gasped, "I was chasing her! ...and lost her."

"Who is she?" Slate wondered.

"I don't know..." Don admitted, "But with that 'G' on her cloak, I'd say she's part of Team Galactic."

"At least they hire sexy teenagers..." Noel muttered under his breath, getting a whack on the head by Kado's spoon.

_BOOM!_

"Follow that explosion!" Don yelled, dramatically pointing his fist upwards and running to the stairwell.

"_Actually, it's the other one" _Kado pointed out.

"To the other one!" Don announced again, spinning on his heel.

* * *

Kara and Shina still haven't lost track of the beast—other than the fact that it caused destruction with every step it took, its long flowing hair was easily spotted. _How are we able to catch up to it? _The trainer wondered, thinking about her past encounters with the other legendary beast that week, _is it...trying to help us? That's awesome! _Eventually they came to the top of the stairwell, which came to a large room with a lemon colored rug. There were several bookcases and tables lying around. On one of the tables were a caged Luxio and Chatot. Sitting near the pokémon in an elementary-school chair was a girl with peculiar spiky periwinkle hair, reading a tabloid magazine.

The girl looked up, her eyes spotting the growling beast and the trainer behind it. A Shinx stood next to the Entei's legs. "Oh damn..." she muttered, reaching for a pokèball on her belt.

"Umm miss? Can I have those pokémon?" Kara asked politely.

"No." the girl snapped.

"Fine! Shina, get in there and use Spark!"

"(I can't! I'm scared!)" the kitty meowed nervously, and was confirmed when her fur staring sparkling. Again.

The Entei roared, and bounded up to the cages, knocking them over, and jumped out an open window. The pokémon inside the cages cried out in pain.

"Yeah. Thanks a lot!" Kara called after the beast, wishing it could see her glare.

"Ha, sweetie that pokémon was your only defense against me. Prepare to fall 6 feet under!" the periwinkle girl laughed maniacally, throwing her pokèball up. A Togekiss appeared out of it.

"If I fell 6 feet from here, wouldn't I just hit the level below me?" Kara thought out loud.

"I don't know!" the other girl snapped, "Just know that you're about to die! Togekiss, use Ancient Power!" rocks began to surround the airplane-like pokémon, and it sent them at Shina;

"Dodge and use Spark!" Shina jumped over the rocks, and crashed into Togekiss with her fur rippling of electricity. Togekiss cried out in pain, probably already ready to go down, despite that one attack.

"Gah! You're so weak!" the girl screeched at her pokémon, "Kill it with Air Slash _now_!" the Togekiss frowned weakly, then quickly flew up and sliced the air, hitting the small Shinx with splitting power.

"Use Bite!" Kara cried out frantically from behind, and Shina struggled up, then lashed out and took a chomped down on Togekiss's wing. The pokémon cried out in pain and struggled to shake her off, but no luck. "Now Spark!" and Togekiss was fried. Shina was enveloped in white light, and just when her trainer thought it was just her defense system again, a Luxio was all that was left of the pokémon as the light faded away.

"_Luxio, the Spark pokémon. Strong electricity surges through its claws. Known Moves: Night Slash, Spark, Bite, and Roar._" recited Kara's pokedex, unfortunately still loud under all of the stuff in her bag.

"Shina, use Roar!" She commanded, stifling the excitement of a newly evolved pokémon.

Togekiss and its trainer braced their selves, but when Shina roared out, nothing came out but sound.

"Ha! You call that a Roar? More like a squeak!" the girl laughed.

Shina growled menacingly, shutting up the girl quickly. She tried one more time, feeling something gurgling in her stomach. She opened her mouth, and let out and ear-splitting roar. Forceful winds emanated from her jaw, thrusting the girl on the nearest wall, along with her Togekiss that slammed right into her. The girl cried out frantically, realizing how she couldn't win the battle, then quickly hopped on her pokémon, and escaped out the window. Shina quickly ran to the window, barking out curses.

Kara laughed, "Calm down Shina, they're gone."

"(I wasn't done with them yet!)" the medium sized feline yelled, still watching her escapees.

"It's okay Shina, it's okay. But on the plus side—you evolved!" she ran over to give her pokémon a hug.

"Whoa...WTF is going on here?"

She knew that acronym spelling voice anywhere. (Apparently, everyone did.)

"Noel!" She said excitedly, spinning around, "Look! Shina evolved!"

"Whoa—there are two Luxio's in here. CONFUSING!" Slate cried out, entering the room behind Noel.

"No, that Luxio in the cage is _mine_!" Don said, coming in from behind Slate, and ran up to the cage. It was locked, and with the help of his Glaceon, he was able to break the lock.

"Oh hey, it's chocoholic guy!" Kara grinned, breaking off the lock to the Chatot's cage. The vehicle shop owner's pokémon happily flew around and landed on her shoulder.

"_No_! My name is Don!" he whined.

"According to your trainer card your name is Theodore Donatello." she pointed out.

"HOW DO PEOPLE KEEP GETTING AHOLD OF THAT?" He groaned, snatching it from her fingers. She shot him a grin and petted both Luxio's.

* * *

**AUGH! KILL THE LOPUNNU WHO CONTINUES TO ADD LEGENDS! **

**Anyway...**

**I hope you've caught onto the characters :D any questions, ask! Comments and critism, definitly appreciated. (Review?)**

**OH! And I'm going to PA Monday so expect no update then, but I should be near internet sooner or later...so cross your fingers! :D**

_Current Pokemon_

Kara

(MALE) Prinplup - Emp/Emporor  
(FEMALE) Luxio - Shina  
(FEMALE) Lotad - Lale  
(FEMALE) Buneary - Lun/Lunybuny

Noel

(MALE) Blastoise - Barren  
(MALE) Houndoom - Hound  
(MALE) Kado - Alakazam  
(MALE) Dodrio - Dude _PC/Home  
_(FEMALE) Gengar - Genji  
(MALE) Turtwig - Rex


	17. The Rematch with that SheNinja!

**Greetings from Canada!**

**Anyway, I checked the polls a few seconds ago, and it looks like everyone is liking Slate. Props to Yamashishi :O Good thing too, since he's gonna be here for a while! The Floaroma Bad Boys tied with him, so...yay :D influence the votes! Vote on Profile for your Fav. 3 characters. WOO! **

**Disclaimer: I own Pokemon! In last nights dream. If only. Sigh. Ocs belong to their owners :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 14  
The Rematch with that She-Ninja!

* * *

"_DAY 8, Continued. HEY ABBY! What's up lil' sis?...Did I sound too street there? Sorry. Aren't you glad that I stopped writing that stupid journal? Yeah, I already sent the other days of my journey to you. So, let me sum up my 3-Chapter day;_

"_First, we encountered some guy named Slate, who went with us to a Chateau. He's our new temporary traveling buddy. He shared the Gateau with us for lunch! NO YOU CAN'T HAVE SOME_

"_Second, around 1 in the afternoon, I had to infiltrate (go look it up in a thesaurus you nine-year old) a base and help save Pokémon with Noel, Slate, and this other guy we met, named Don. His real name is Theodore Donatello :O TELL EVERYONE _

"_And now, I just finished dinner (before all the piggy guys) and sent/send you this e-mail. Read well, and 3 times over. It's around 7 right now, OH and how is Mom doing? Go tell her and Daddy and all the other people/Pokémon in the house that I'm having a scheduled Gym battle with Gardenia tonight at 7:30. It's on CHANNEL 5! DON'T FORGET! Wish me luck! :D"_

"That's a long email…" someone said from behind Kara, peering over her shoulder to the computer screen. She titled her head, confused why Slate was eavesdropping on her personal message. "Hey you mentioned me! I think you should pay me when you tag me in your emails."

"Go away!" she whined, "And I think I'm done emailing my little sister. I keep forgetting that she doesn't have an MSN…"

He rolled his eyes, "So uhh…ready for your Gym battle?"

"Yep!" she grinned, "As soon as I get my Pokémon back…"

"Alright guys, let's head to the Gym!" Noel announced dramatically, pointing towards the 'Center doors, "I can see a crowd already heading towards the front!"

"A crowd? OW MY STOMACH" Kara faked a stomach ache, holding her gut. Don rolled his eyes, patting her back reassuringly.

"You'll do fine…maybe"

"Thanks for the support…" she muttered, hanging her head while collecting her pokéballs, which were waiting for her at Nurse Joy's desk. The four walked out the 'Center, heading for the Gym.

If Kara hadn't tripped on the way there.

* * *

The Gym was dark. The bleachers were full of chattering people waiting for the battle, hoping their home gym leader would win. The guys—Noel, Slate, and Don—sat in the benches below the bleachers.

"I don't see why we had to pay for admission…" Slate muttered, looking down at his near-empty wallet.

"Well you have to pay for the great seats," Don shrugged, "With my poor eyesight, everyone would just be a blur in the top bleachers."

"You guys had to pay?" Noel gave them a look of disbelief, "I sneaked in the backdoor…"

Cue like millions of sweat drops…

"SHH SHH it's starting! I've been waiting forever!" Slate said, shooing their voices with his hand. The arena lit up with lights from the ground—still making the room ridiculously dark. Two spotlights lit up, one being Gardenia, and the other being our favorite amethyst-haired friend, Kara.

"This is a 3-on-3 Gym Battle between the challenger, Kara of Sunyshore City, and the Gym Leader Gardenia! This battle has no time limit and only the challenger can switch Pokémon!" announced the judge, standing on the sidelines with two pretty flags, "_BEGIN!_"

_I'm not losing this time… _"Lunybuny, Time in!" Kara released her newest addition—the Buneary. She hopped about on the battlefield, readying her paws and punching enthusiastically. Someone obviously had face-time with a mirror.

"Cherubi, go!" Gardenia released her fruit-like Pokémon onto the battlefield.

"Weird, you think she would use her new captures on…different days." Slate muttered.

"She's just weird." Noel confirmed. Don shrugged on the topic, only knowing the girl for several hours.

"Lun, use Frustration!" Kara commanded, the rabbit was off, her feet pounding so hard on the ground that it shook up the whole coliseum.

"Stop it with Leech Seed!" Cherubi tossed seeds at the Buneary, stopping its attack in mid-air. Vines from the ground grew in a second and began to sap energy from the poor Pokémon to the other one.

"Break through with Quick Attack!" she countered, and Lun kicked, but the vines were too thick to cross through. She managed to escape all but one vine, and it was wrapped around her foot so tight that it was almost impossible to move. "Endure!" Lun followed orders, bracing herself. She only had a tiny bit of energy left, while Cherubi still had plenty of energy like the energizer bunnies.

"Use Grass Knot!" Gardenia commanded, the vine that was holding Lun thrusted her into the air, and she was able to get free from its clutches and land back on her feet.

"Lun, use Frustration!" the angry rabbit lashed out on Cherubi, kicking and punching and giving it all she had. She was seething when her attack was over, and if she wasn't tame, she would've had rabid-foam running down her cheeks. Cherubi was knocked out from the vicious attack.

"Evil." Don commented. The guys on the bench with him nodded in agreement, and started to hate the idea of being locked in a room alone with that crazed Buneary.

Gardenia returned her fallen soldier. Kara did as well, knowing that if Lun went any further, she would collapse.

"Turtwig, go!" the Gym Leader released her green turtle. Rex, on Noel's lap, squealed and attempted to wave its stub at its twin.

_I see we're saving our powerhouses for last… _"Shina, Time in!" the newly-evolved Luxio was released from her ball, and she barked excitedly, ready for a good battle. The two Pokémon just stared at each other, waiting for a move.

"SOMEONE ATTACK!" Slate yelled from the sidelines, obviously impatient.

"I think Kara is having stage fright ATM." Noel said, boredly staring at both Pokémon.

"That and Gardenia's texting someone" Don muttered.

"Shina, use Bite!" Kara finally said, and the Luxio was off with her teeth bared, creating a dark shadow in the form of jaws in front of her.

"Reflect." Gardenia said without much of an effort. A pretty yellow box surrounded Turtwig, and just when Shina was about to strike, she hit the barrier head-first. It made a ripple before returning back to its protecting-state. The crowd gasped, and Noel muttered,

"That's gonna leave a mark."

"(OW ow ow…)" Shina moaned, rubbing the hit spot with one of her paws. Her opponent smirked at her.

_That is so rigged… _"Break through it with Spark!" Kara yelled, Shina backed up to get some distance, seeing her opponent was just lying there on his paws, and rammed into the box with her fur sparkling—and hit her head again. Shina cried out in pain, and was starting to get irritated. She did it again and again, but she couldn't break through the box. Turtwig began to laugh. Shina prepared to strike one last time—

"Use Grass Knot!" Gardenia yelled, just as Shina _finally _broke through the barriers with Spark, Turtwig slammed her across the arena with thick vines. She cried out in pain, and struggled to get up.

_Damn! She didn't go this hard on Noel! _Kara whined to herself, "Shina, use Night Slash!"

"Stop her with Grass Knot!" Gardenia countered,

"Don't let it!" Kara whined, receiving looks from the silent crowd. Shina clawed her way to Turtwig, one of her claws elongating with dark energy. Vines erupted from the ground, threatening to toss her around like a rug doll, and just as it was about to grab her, she sunk her teeth into it. Turtwig screamed and the vines shrunk, and the Luxio smirked and took this as an opening to attack. She sliced across the shell on his back, sending him tumbling backwards.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Gardenia called, Turtwig got up from his spot and prepared whip his head leaf—

"Blow it back with Roar!" Kara countered, Shina opened her mouth, but like earlier, nothing but sound came out. The Luxio whimpered and looked down at her snout, and completely forgot about the leafs coming towards her. She was cut and sliced everywhere, and once the attack was over, she collapsed on her side.

"Luxio is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

Kara cursed in her head and returned Shina back into her pink pokéball. She grabbed the Great Ball off her belt, unsure about her decision—"Lunybuny, Time in!" the rabbit was once again released on the battlefield. Despite the little rest she had, she was ready to give it her all.

"No! Not the rabbit! Damn it Kara, she's exhausted!" Noel yelled from the sidelines.

"Calm down, I'm sure she knows what she's doing." Don said, and both he and Slate pulled him back down to sit. Noel was really riling up the crowd—it was hard to hear the commands from the trainers now.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Gardenia said, and Turtwig whipped its head leaf, sending crescent-shaped leafs straight at the Buneary. Lun hopped up in the air, going so high that the attack couldn't reach her. While in mid air, her trainer called—

"Use Frustration!"

"Put up Reflect!" Gardenia said immediately. Gold barriers surrounded Turtwig, but Lun _broke _through and struck. The Buneary was left panting, while the green turtle had collapsed.

"Turtwig is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

"Yeah! You go girl!" Noel cheered from the sidelines. Slate and Don began to scoot away from him…

"Roserade, go!" Gardenia released her ninja-plant onto the battlefield.

Kara decided to keep Lun in just a little longer. "Use Frustration!" she called, the rabbit hopped up, foot poised to strike—

"Grass Knot!" A vine took Lun's foot and slammed the rabbit into the ground. Dust rose, and when it subsided, all that was left standing was Roserade.

_Oops. _Kara thought to herself, returning her Pokémon, ignoring the referee's announcement. She took out her last pokéball, and hurled it into the sky, "Emporor, Time in!" the Prinplup was let out of its cage (metaphorically speaking). He had been waiting all day for this rematch, and when he snarled at his opponent, everyone knew that he wasn't leaving this arena without a fight.

"(You're back.)" Roserade spat, lifting its roses to its face.

"(Oh, so you remember me?)" Emp sneered, "(Well the winner of this battle will be _me_!)"

"(We'll see.)" Roserade rolled its eyes.

"Emp, use Peck!" Kara called, his beak began to glow a bright white and he ran towards his opponent—

"Use Grass Knot!" and was slammed into the dirt.

_What the hell? How come I can NEVER get around that? _"Use Peck again!" Emp was able to land a hit square in the chest this time, and Roserade skidded across the arena, dust rising. "Now use Bubblebeam!" Emp shot out blue-bubble-bullets.

"Poison Sting!" Gardenia called, all the bubbles were thwarted by purple needles.

"Gah! Uh—use Shadow Claw!" Kara stammered, once again losing hope about winning. It was like the Canalave Gym all over again…

"Use Magical Leaf and stop it!" Gardenia commanded, Roserade released multicolored leafs from its roses—

"Cut through them with Metal Claw!" Emp span like a top, his wings glowing silver, and cut through all the leafs. Once the projectiles had stop coming, he sped off with his wing fading into purple claws, and sliced across Roserade.

"Grass Knot!" while Roserade was still recovering, it thrusted its rose into the air, causing vines to erupt from the ground. They threw the Prinplup backwards.

"Get around those vines and use Peck!" Emp jumped up, but one of the vines caught his webbed foot. He took the vines and rode it, then used Peck on it, cutting it in half. He struck the vulnerable ninja-plant with his glowing beak—

And his opponent finally collapsed.

Awkward silence waved through the coliseum.

"Roserade is unable to battle! The winner is the challenger, Kara Ryka!"

Kara squealed while the rest of the crowd cheered for her. The two battlers met in the middle of the arena, and Gardenia rummaged through her green poncho and took out a shiny object.

"It's been waiting for you!" she grinned, "It's warm too. Thank my pockets."

"Thanks!" Kara gladly accepted the Forest Badge, and was so happy that she didn't care where it was kept. She ran up to Emp, who was sitting on the ground, watching the crowd leave to where they wanted to go. A tiny green object landed in his lap. He looked up to his trainer, confused. "Smile! We won!" she said, shaking his wings playfully. Emp went 'hmph' and turned the other way. He ended up getting hugged. "Good job anyway!" His face began to shade pink…

The guys finally arrived.

"So how'd we do?" she asked them.

"Good enough." Don shrugged,

"Very smart, getting around Gardenia's tactics." Slate nodded,

"Let's celebrate with ice cream!" Noel yelled, and started to run towards the exit, but stopped—"Guys! You're supposed to race me!" he whined. The others 'Oooh'd and followed him out the door.

* * *

**Yay :D things are looking up. Now I know I shouldn't need to ask, but...REVOO! (...this is how i say review...don't judge me T_T)**

**And shout out to cjml 1 for adding this story to their alert list! That, along with Altaria Fan, define-originality, iflip4dolphins, Silver Don, and Yamashishi, oh and Teddiursa97 who always reviews in every chap :D also, thanks for reading, you 20 ppl who added me on their author alert list. (is it 20? i think i miscounted :o)**


	18. The Rock Torc that is Roark!

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 15  
The Rock Torc that is Roark!

* * *

"_DAY 9, Hey Tasha! Can you believe I almost started telling my story to ABBY? WHOA. Anyway, I hope you don't hate me for this long text. Kinda strange, my PokéGear doesn't have a keypad_

"_I can't believe I won the Eterna Badge! I hope you recorded my battle on TV. I want a copy! I'll be watching it FOREVER :D_

"_So remember Don, that guy with that has so many Team Rocket-terminating stories? Yeah—he left to somewhere. He didn't exactly say where—but he was heading to Mt. Coronet, so I assume he's going to Celestic…_

"_Where are WE going? Oh, I thought you'd never ask! We're going to Oreburgh. Want me to get you a necklace while I'm there? Noel said we'd get there by lunch, thanks to that convenient little bike route south of Eterna. Don't worry—I'll take pics! I'll even put it on FaceBook later. See ya!"_

"What do you mean we can't use our Golf Cart on the Bike Route?"

The trio of weird people were on their way to Oreburgh when they encountered an obstacle—only bikes were allowed on the Bike Route for routes 206-207. Because of this, it was only natural that Noel, the oldest of the trio, would complain with his devil dog at his side, ready to fry faces…

"Sir, it's a rule. Nothing bigger then a motorcycle is allowed on the track." The very patient employee said.

"I don't care if it's a rule! This is a vehicle route, and my Golf Cart is a vehicle!"

"But sir—"

"LET ME THROUGH!"

Slate and Kara sighed, forgotten at the side.

"He actually reminds me of my mom," She shrugged, "She _always_ complains at restaurants…then we get kicked out usually after the appetizer."

"I think we should just sneak the cart out on the track and run…" He suggested in a low voice.

"That's Plan B!" she hissed, "Wait till Plan A fails first!"

"I didn't know we planned this chapter" he muttered in response.

The employee sighed, and waved over the manager, who was just watching from beside the door. Kara and Slate started inconspicuously pushing the cart towards the door…

"Sir, please cooperate, we can rent you bikes so you can get across." The manager said in an equally calm tone as his employee.

"I don't want a damn bike, I want my Golf Cart!" Noel yelled, stomping his foot down.

"Sir…" the calm employee said, not liking his customers tone,

"Shut the freak up! Hound, use Rage!" the Houndoom went berserk, and began to chase both workers with an eerie glow around him.

"Plan B!" Kara shrieked, Noel nodded and hopped into the back (considering Slate took his seat) and signaled for Kado to start the cart. The Alakazam lifted Hound with Psychic so that he would take his rightful seat next to him, and sped the Cart off at such a speed that the riders had to grab hold of the handles of the cart so they wouldn't fly out. (No seatbelts :O GASP) Unfortunately, the workers wouldn't let them off so easy. Just as they had gotten a mile away, they found _Growlithe's _tailing behind them.

"Let my Feraligatr get them!" Slate volunteered, holding up a pokéball.

"No room." Kara deadpanned, already hating the small space she was squished into without falling out of the ridiculously fast cart.

"Then Barren can handle them!" Noel offered, holding up another pokéball.

"Your Blastoise will crumple our cart like paper." She informed him.

"Then use Prinplup!" Slate snapped, "My God, we're in a high speed Pokémon chase and you're thinking about ice cream!"

"Pfft!" she said, knowing it was true, "Fine! But Noel has to put Hound back in his pokéball!"

"No! He's my buddy!" Noel whined, hugging his devil dog with one arm while holding the railings of the cart with his other.

"It's either that or we get burned!" she threatened.

"I'll get it!" Slate yelled, reaching for a random pokéball on Noel's belt,

"No! Don't feel me for it, that's so gay!" Noel whined, then sighed, "Sorry Hound, you have to go for a while." The Houndoom shrugged, and was eaten away by a red beam that sucked him into his pokéball. Kara opened Emp's pokéball, letting him out where Hound used to be.

"(Hn. Growlithe's. I knew this would happen eventually with a guy like Noel in the cart.)" Emp muttered, crossing his wings across his stomach.

"I'm tempted to sacrifice you to the Growlithe's." Noel muttered.

"Actually, that would only give us 7 free seconds." Slate calculated.

"Good enough!" Noel agreed.

"No, we are not sacrificing anyone! If we are, then I vote Noel." Kara stated, pointing accusingly at him.

"Gah! Woman, why are we arguing when we have Growlithe's on our tail!" he screeched back.

"Plus we only have half the track left" Slate pointed out.

And the red puppies began spewing Flamethrowers at them.

"Ahh!" she screamed, having let go of the bars because a Flamethrower was aimed there—she quickly grabbed the steering wheel that was inconveniently placed on Slate's side of the cart—"Emp use Bubblebeam on them!"

Noel placed himself in between suitcases so he was securely in the cart, and picked up Emp, holding him like a gun with the beak spewing bubbles like bullets. The Growlithe's were shot down humorously like a videogame. In between bubbles, Emp said,

"(This is a onetime thing.)" (Everyone now had a translator on them, apparently)

"Agreed." Noel nodded, and continued to aim at the enemies.

* * *

The cart finally made it to the gates of Oreburgh City in peace—and pieces. The back tires had melted because of the intense speed they had gone through an hour ago on the bike route—so because of this, the Alakazam that steered the cart was put back in his pokèball while the guys, Slate and Noel, pushed Kara and her Prinplup towards the town.

"Faster guys!" she rooted, watching them from her seat, "It's time for lunch!"

"No more eating! Please!" Noel gasped, his arms hurting, "Anymore weight and I might collapse!"

"Oh please, this is probably the best workout you've ever had." she spat, glaring at him.

"I still volunteer to use our pokémon..." Slate muttered, his arms aching as well. Since both guys worked up a sweat, their respective Windbreaker and Vest was placed inside the cart.

"Nope! You don't get off that easy!" she sang in response, waiting for the guys to start pushing the cart again.

"What did we ever do?" Noel gasped, wiping the sweat off his brow with his sock hat.

"You left me with the pokémon. I hold grudges!" She stated, sticking her tongue at him.

"I blame you." Slate muttered, choosing to glare at Noel under his aviator sunglasses, since the sun was unfortunately bright this fine afternoon.

"Everyone does" Noel sighed under his breath, and started pushing the cart again. Slate groaned, stretched his muscles, and took his spot in pushing the cart too.

"(You just love torturing them, don't you.)" Emp deadpanned from his seat next to her.

"Yep! Cookie?" she offered, holding her snack bag out. The guys from the rear of the cart glared at her, and she once again stuck her tongue at them and turned the newly-charged radio up.

After several minutes of pushing, the trio finally arrived at the pokémon center. Noel and Slate sighed, and leaned on the back of the vehicle, almost ready to collapse. Kara poked them, and assumed they were either a) dead, or b)...dead. Her options were limited.

"Is it okay if I go to the gym first?" She asked, climbing out of her seat, "I'll schedule the battle and everything."

"Go. Leave." Noel deadpanned, his face smeared across a suitcase, "Come back for lunch." Slate helped by waving her off, and ran into the 'Center for air-conditioning. Eventually Noel followed as well to get out of the heat, and chained up the cart before leaving.

"I should probably call a repairman for the tires..." Kara muttered, still standing in the same spot.

"(Why would you do that? Don't you want them to push more?)" Emp inquired, still sitting in the cart.

"Nah, my grudge is gone." She shrugged, "Come on, I can see the Gym from here." she pointed to a large building a few blocks away, which was relatively big and easily spotted in such a small town. There were only about ten buildings around at most, which made her wonder where the inhabitants lived. Underground maybe?

The two made it to the Gym in a matter of minutes, maybe 10, considering how slow both were walking. Lazy people. The Gym was hidden in the face of a mountain, therefore straying off the path that the two were currently on. They stared at it blankly, no doubt tiny thoughts flooding through their heads.

"Hn. Nice spot to put it, don't you think?" She asked, still staring at it.

"(I hope they get hit by an Earthquake)" Emp muttered under his breath.

"You're evil..." she commented, "Wow! I'm really rubbing off you, huh?"

With that, the two entered the hidden building, meeting a receptionist desk. On the desk was a standing card that said 'out to lunch'. Kara groaned and looked around, spotting no one, then smirked and crawled over to the desk. The computer was still logged on, so she stared at the desktop, and found a window still waiting in the bottom bar. It was an email from a text message.

"_N da mynz_

_Skedule battlz 3_

_-Rrk"_

_What the hell...how did he text off his Pok__é__Gear? Mine doesn't have a keyboard..._she wondered, and downsized the window. She opened the other one, which happened to be a battle schedule for the day. She scrolled up, and spotted a name that made her heart drop. _Edgar. _The name echoed in her mind, _So he was here a few days ago...and won the badge..._she glared at the screen, _Damn it!_ she was about to pound on the keyboard, but she heard shuffling somewhere on the other side of the doors around the room.

She froze.

"Is someone coming?" she whispered to her penguin, who was acting as lookout.

"(Yes, and hurry!)" he whispered in response. She quickly scrolled back down to the bottom and added hers, Noel's, and Slate's name to the battle schedule. She downsized it again, then hurriedly ran out the door with her Prinplup on her heels.

* * *

Slate and Noel continued to stare at Nurse Joy, who was feeling uncomfortable under their blank stares. NO ONE WAS BLINKING

"Eh heh heh...boys...you're pokémon will be ready in an hour..." she said, trying to shoo them away from her front desk. They continued to stare at her, and she wasn't sure what to do but hope something would break the silence, preferably a young silver eyed teen—

"GUYS!" yelled a familiar voice, running through the automatic 'Center doors. The two guys turned, and found Kara and Emp huffing and puffing in front of them.

"Oh hey you're back early" Noel muttered.

"Yeah…and Roark isn't here."

"Again?" Slate groaned, "He's always in the mines…did you at least schedule a battle?"

"Maybe…" she trailed off, unsure what category forging would go into. The guys swapped looks before shrugging.

Everyone was just finishing lunch when the clock ticked 2:00. Noel, impatient as he was, began groaning. "UGH! I can't believe we're still here!"

"What do you mean?" Slate asked, looking at him skeptically.

"We have a schedule, apparently." Kara muttered, "Get to a town in the morning, battle the gym, then head to the next town by midnight."

"THIS IS MESSING WITH MY NON-EXISTANT SCHEDULE!" Noel screamed in a high-pitched voice, "If you'll excuse me, I'll be going on a training montage."

"Use the Eye of the Tiger as your background music!" she called after him, tossing the remains of her sandwich in the trash. She was about to sit down when someone familiar walked through the 'Center doors.

Blonde hair with multi-colored tips and streaks, Alexis Schiffer, or Lexi as she introduces herself, stepped through the doors with her Misdreavus floating on her left. She was wearing a navy-blue mesh-sleeved shirt and jeans with material stitched into the legging, rainbow socks, white sneakers with Pokémon stickers stuck onto every clean spot, and had her snowflake hoodie tied around her waist. She looked around, spotting Kara and Slate sitting on her right, crumbs surrounding them.

"Hi Alexis!" Kara grinned, waving like an idiot. Lexi glared at her for using her real name, then stomped over to Nurse Joy. "Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the coconut tree…" she muttered under her breath.

"You know her?" Slate asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we battled each other in the Floaroma Contest."

"Did you win?" he asked.

"Well…yea…" she shrugged, "It didn't feel like a win to me since Emp was acting on his own…"

"At least he won't be like that in your next contest." He muttered. Lexi, now pokémonless, passed them and walked through the doors again. "Man, she's really distant, huh?"

"I don't think she wants to be my friend…" Kara sighed, "A sad thing really, I already have 2 people that hate me and it's only been 9 days…"

"Who's the second person?" he inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"This girl named Kayla, she's a coordinator too. She came from my home town." She answered.

He was unsure what to say from there, and stood up, looking out the door. "Let's go treasure hunting!"

"…Why?" she asked, confused how he just changed the topic like that.

"Because, the mines have a whole bunch'a cool stuff there! Plus, if Roark is there, we can finally get him to battle you two." He said, referring to Noel.

"You're not battling him?" she wondered, standing up.

"I already did a few months ago," he shrugged, "My Feraligatr wiped him out without breaking a sweat."

"Sounds like something Noel's Blastoise would do…" she muttered under her breath. The two went to Nurse Joy and picked up their respective Pokémon, Lenze the Pidgeot and Lale the Lotad, and headed south towards the mines.

* * *

The mines were found in the mouth of a large cave. From where the two fourteen-year olds stood, there was a vertical slope that led to the underground. Before the two entered, they picked up the tools hanging on a vender stand, including a yellow hard helmet, although Kara picked the grey one because yellow didn't go well with her hair, to which Slate and his Pidgeot rolled their eyes. She picked up a large Mario-like hammer, but he quickly took it from her grasp.

"Hey…I was using that!" she whined.

"Sorry, I don't trust you with…this." He said, unable to come up with a smart word to substitute the item with.

"Fine!" she pouted, and picked up the pick-axe in the bucket next to the hammers.

"Even worse!" he said, taking her pick-axe, "Pointy objects means death for me!"

"Well then how am I supposed to find stuff?" she said, holding out her hand, wanting him to give up one of the items.

He let out a loud sigh of relief, "Fine…" and gave her back the hammer, then got an extra hard helmet and strapped it onto his back.

"You look like a turtle" she commented from behind him, getting a flashlight.

"I LIKE TURTLES!" he declared, and hopped on his Pidgeot. The two slid down the slope, the waited for the girls to come down. Kara picked up her Lotad, placed the hammer and flashlight on top of its' lily pad, and slid down the slope.

The next few minutes the teens and Pokémon picked at the walls, which had plus-signs in it for some reason, and dug for treasure. Slate found various things, like shards and leaf stones, while Kara only found spheres and heart scales. She scowled and tossed the spheres away, since they were only worth as currency in the Underground, and kept the heart scales, which were all sitting on Lale's head.

The two decided to scour farther down the path. It was darker here, so Kara finally found use for the flashlight. She flashed the light on the walls, which had many indents in it, making her grin. "Woo! Jackpot!" she squealed, "Hold this would'ya?" she positioned the flashlight on Lale's lily pad, that way it would hit the wall without her having to hold it. Kara swung the hammer across the wall, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling. The crack she made showed something cerulean hidden under the dirt. "Ahh! We found som—WAHH!"

And she fell in a hole.

* * *

"I think we have enough" Slate huffed, his arms tired for the second time today. His Pidgeot squawked in agreement. He looked into his plastic bag, which held all his findings, and counted them; 2 water stones, 5 leaf stones, 1 fire stone, 4 red shards, 3 Everstones, and an odd looking key that held Spiritombs. A beam of light flashed through his windbreaker, and he turned to the flashlight holder.

"Alexis?" he called, and she glared at him, coming towards him, wanting to blind him with her flashlight.

"It's _Lexi_ Slate, don't you remember?"

"Umm…no?"

She glared at him, "You battled me a few months ago in Snowpoint, when I had just gotten my Snover?" His Pidgeot brushed up against her, "See? Even Lenze remembers me!"

"Well—he's a Pokémon! Who knows what he can retain!" he stammered, then froze, as if he had just re-entered his thoughts. "_Oh_! Now I remember…I had just gotten to Snowpoint by boat…oh yea! You were the rainbow chick with the Snover! Uh…what was his name…Freeze!"

"Frigid!" she corrected angrily, "What are you doing in Oreburgh anyway?"

"I'm here with my friends Noel and Kara," he shrugged, "I've already gotten the badge from Roark actually, but I'm traveling with them so I can get to Snowpoint quicker."

At the sound of her hometown, Lexi suddenly felt homesick. She quickly dismissed the feeling.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I entered the Oreburgh Contest." She answered, "It was last night."

"Did you win?"

She nodded.

"So then how many ribbons would you have now?"

"Three."

He nodded, not very impressed, seeing that he's seen at least 3 of the contests that she lost on TV. The two lingered in silence till—

"_WAHH!_"

"Sounds like someone fell into a Pit trap" Lexi muttered under her breath.

"Sounds like Kara fell into that Pit trap…" Slate said out loud, "Come on Lenze, we better go help her out." The Pidgeot nodded and followed his trainer farther down the corridor. Lexi shrugged and decided to follow.

* * *

Lale managed to shine the flashlight down at her trainer. Kara had already spent twenty seconds trying to climb back up, yet she was too short to reach the top and gave up all together. She was currently sulking on the ground, sitting cross-legged. Her PokéGear didn't work Underground—damn telephone lines and their above-ground-ness.

The ground suddenly began to shake, and she yelped and stood up, steadying herself by holding the walls of the pit trap.

"Lotad!" said Lale, and since Kara left her translator with her bag in her room in the Pokémon Center, she was unable to understand what her Pokémon said. _Some people said that you can understand Pokémon by feeling—screw that, I'm stuck in a hole! What about MY feelings? _She said in her head.

"ONIX!" echoed throughout the mines, and the walls that she was holding began to cave in. Lale suddenly looked up, being the type to be alert to sounds.

"STOP THAT! I'M IN A HOLE FOR ICE CREAMS SAKE!" she screamed, louder than the echo. Everything suddenly became quiet. There was a loud shifting, and a few seconds later a head popped into the hole.

"Excuse me miss, please keep your voice down. You might make the Underground cave in." the man said. He was wearing a yellow hard hat and had dark red hair and glasses. Kara recognized him instantly from the pictures hanging on the lobby walls in the Gym.

"Aren't you Roark?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

"That would be nice." She spat under her breath. He disappeared for a moment, then returned with a rope in hand. One end was tied to the tail of his Onix, but he wasn't about to tell her that…he lowered the other end and told her to hold on tight. One flick of the tail later and we had a flustered Kara with her stomach almost falling out her throat.

"Kara!" a voice shouted down the corridor. Slate, Lexi, and Lenze arrived a few seconds later, tired from the running.

"Oh hey Slate…Alexis…" she greeted, still woozy.

"It's Lexi or you're going back in that hole." Lexi spat, crossing her arms.

"Hey…I remember you!" Roark said, pointing to Slate, "You're that kid who cleaned me out with just one Feraligatr! What are you doing back here? Back to gloat?"

"I'm just here with friends" Slate said, innocently putting his hands up. "So when are you going back to the Gym? They want the badge."

"Well, since you went out of your trouble to find me, I guess I could go back now…" he trailed off.

"Hold up!" Kara shrieked, and took Slate's pick-axe, and quickly removed the cerulean object that she found earlier. It was a stone tablet—on the back were words written in Unknown letters, so it was unreadable. "What the heck is this supposed to be?"

"That's a Splash Plate," Slate said, the walking Pokédex of the group, "They boost the power of water moves when a Pokémon hold it, plus it's pretty hard to find down here."

"Cool! Here Lale, we'll trade." She picked up all the heart scales and placed the Splash Plate onto the lily pad. "Hey Roark, did this guy named Edgar battle you a few days ago?"

"Hmm…the Spanish fellow with the fire-types? Yes, I did. He won miraculously…"

"Typical…" she muttered, "Uh…is he still in town?"

"No, I believe he and his friend said something about heading to Hearthome and the contest its holding in a few days."

"There's a contest?" both Kara and Lexi said, they gave each other looks to why they said that at the same time…weird…

Roark nodded, "Why don't we go head back to the Gym then?"

"Umm…actually, can we battle later? I need to make a call…" Kara said, stuffing her hands into her hoodie pockets.

"Sure! We never did schedule a battle, even when you broke into our computer." He replied, sending her knowing looks.

"Haha…what are you talking about?" she stammered.

"We have cameras you know."

"Oops…"

* * *

**Hmm, I was thinking of making this a 2 part chapter, but I already delayed this story long enough :P as we can see, Noel's being...distant? Well, all will be seen...maybe...**

**Confusion? Critisism? Just wanna say something? Review and tell me! :D**

**I'm advertising myself now :P best commercial ever~oh, thanks to all that reviewed last chap. You guys are the highlight of my day :D sad thing isn't it?**

**Oh, and I'd like to say, if you enjoy humor-pokemon journey-parody-4th wall-breaking stories, please check out the Loser's Log by Zokolov. It's a great story and deserves more readers :D**


	19. Battle, Cattle, NO THERE ARE NO COWS

****

**Check out the Title Picture! Remove the spaces to http: /kiara411 . deviantart . com /#/ d2tuxl3**

And if you pay attention to the mentioning of two new characters in the first paragraph, maybe next chapter you won't be lost :D k, back ot the story! CAUSE I'LL NEVER OWN POKEMON! OR OCS! They're owned by their owners.

Oh. And Poll News: Alta is tieing with Slate :o...and the bad boys, and the pokemon :P

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 16  
Battle, Cattle, NO THERE ARE NO COWS HERE

* * *

"_DAY 10 …_

"_Tasha, is it true? There's a CONTEST in HEARTHOME? OMG. You HAVE to come. We can meet up with Ravenn and Maria! Sigh, I miss my besties. You think they caught any Pokémon? Did YOU catch any? You're not telling me anything…_

"_Did you hear? RAVENN AND MARIA ARE MODELS. WTH. I mean, yeah I expected Ravenn to be one, but not Maria…but hey, they're in Hearthome, which means they can see my contest! YAY! And so can you. SO GET OVER HERE_

"_Anyway, I have a Gym Battle with Roark today :O Noel's is first—in the morning, and mine is after lunch. We couldn't do it yesterday because the other trainers still had to battle, then the Pokémon get healed, battle, heal, battle, heal…ugh, so tiring. I would hate to be a Gym leader. _

"_For good luck, I'm dressed as a Carvanha. I dunno why…I'M JUST SO EXCITED :D I'm waiting for Slate and Noel to wake up, cause I wanna see their reaction. They already think I'm nuts :P_

"_What else is new? Anyway, Wish me luck :D"_

"What the _hell _are you wearing?"

And that was the reaction she was waiting for. Kara grinned, pocketed her PokéGear, and span around to face Noel. She screamed and shot up, attempting to back up, only to back up into a table and fall backwards over it. He lifted an eyebrow at her, wondering what other clumsy tactics she would go through this morning.

"M-me! You're not wearing _anything_!" she exclaimed, and wondered how he could exit their room and enter the lobby in public with nothing but a towel wrapped around his mid-section.

"A towel is something" he pointed out, "I was actually coming out here for a second towel for my hair…damn recession only giving us a few."

"Whatever! Just get dressed!" she spat, turning to the door, resisting the urge to look back… "You're just lucky that everyone else is still asleep." It was only nine in the morning—it was amazing how long these trainers would stay up—it was like they were on FaceBook or MySpace for ten hours straight.

And Lexi walked through the 'Center doors, caught a glimpse of Noel, and walked right back out. There was a blur that raced passed the two at the couches, and it was Slate, who was chasing Lexi for unknown reasons. They assumed he tackled her when they heard some thuds before the 'center doors closed.

"Back on topic, I do question your taste in Pokémon themed clothes. What are you supposed to be?" Noel inquired, fiddling with his towel, only to be sure it wouldn't fall.

"I am a Carvanha!" she answered proudly.

"…Why?"

"I don't know. I don't question your taste in ice type-themes!" she shot back.

"Touché…" he muttered, "I better go get dressed."

"You do that." She deadpanned, then went off to question what was so bizarre about her Carvanha-themed clothing. It was actually a refreshing change to her gothic tunics, and she might even change her suitcase around, considering it was just a few weeks into July. The summer heat was definitely unbearable, even in a cold region like Sinnoh.

As for her Carvanha costume, it was just a tank top—red on top and blue on the bottom, the two colors clashed by a zigzag. Thick yellow wires lined the hem and straps of the shirt, while yellow spiky tufts of cloth protruded off the shoulder blades and sides. It was an interesting shirt, only to be complimented by jean shorts and some sandals.

A few minutes later Noel returned fully clothed with his sock hat and drawstring bag. "Let's go!" he said, "Let's not keep the badges waiting!"

"Okay," Kara groaned, not really wanting to get up, "How come you get to go first?"

"Cause I'm the main character!"

"Then what does that make me?"

"The uh…companion! Now quit being aware that we're in a fanfic and just get to the gym!"

"Fine! But your battle will be only be briefly described!" she shot back, and followed him out the 'center doors.

* * *

Kara, Slate, Lexi, and a handful of people waited for the battle between Noel and Roark to begin—that is, when Roark arrives. Apparently someone forgot to wake him up this morning.

"What are you doing here Lexi?" Kara inquired when she finally noticed her sitting between her and Slate.

"I was dragged" she deadpanned, crossing her arms angrily.

"OOOH so that's where you went Slate" Kara said, remembering this morning.

"So when are they gonna battle? I HATE WAITING!" He yelled, flailing his arms in the air angrily.

"Calm down, now." Lexi hissed, "Or I'm leaving."

"Fine…" he grumbled.

"How do you two know each other again?" Kara asked, "And can I get it in flashback form?"

"No, we don't have time for that!" Lexi snapped.

"Well, I'm one of your first friends when you started your journey, maybe that's why we're so close!" Slate suggested.

"'Close'?" she scoffed, "We're as close as the north and south poles."

"Wow that's pretty close" Kara muttered under her breath, and didn't see the glare sent to her by the younger female beside her as the lights began to dim. Two spotlights focused on the two guys on the battlefield, both getting ready their pokéballs.

"This battle is 3-on-3 between the challenger, Noel of Sunyshore City, and the Gym Leader Roark! Only the challenger may switch and there is no time limit! _BEGIN!_" yelled the referee.

Noel wordlessly tossed a ball in the air, and Rex the Turtwig popped out. He smiled cutely at the audience, who 'aww'd at the sight. Roark released a Geodude, and the battle began, miraculously told in minor detail as Kara had foretold.

For his first battle, Rex the Turtwig was doing pretty good. Since Roark's Geodude only knew 2 measly moves, Rex easily found a way around them and used Absorb on the floating pebble.

"Way to go Rex!" Noel cheered from the sidelines, Rex grinned and waved his stub/paw at his trainer, but was suddenly hit in the side by a rock. The green turtle grimaced and looked at his opponent, unable to glower because of his kind and reckless nature. He whipped Razor Leaf at Geodude, who countered by shielding itself with Stealth Rock.

"Wow this battle is pretty quiet…" Kara muttered.

"It's because of you and your little details" Lexi spat under her breath. Luckily for her, the older girl beside her didn't hear.

The battle continued, but it mainly consisted of Geodude throwing rocks at Turtwig, who's only protection was his shell, using Withdraw.

"Razor Leaf!" Noel said, attempting to break the boredom he saw in his spectators eyes. From inside the shell, Rex span and used Razor Leaf, but the leafs hit nothing because Geodude was a floating rock. This made several people in the stands face palm, including Slate and Kara.

The battle continued, but Rex started to move slower and slower. After about two minutes of dodging rocks, he collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Next thing he knew, a rock nailed him in the head, and he rolled involuntarily till he slowed in a cloud of dust. The dust subsided, and Rex was declared fainted.

It was silent in the coliseum.

Noel gaped. _What the…_he just couldn't handle it. It was his first loss in _anything _in months. Things seemed to stop moving in his brain, and he wordlessly returned his grass turtle and sent his under-used water starter onto the field; Barren the Blastoise.

After about thirty seconds, all of Roark's Pokémon were unconscious, and the crowd that was watching was as loud as ever. Noel collected his badge, but said nothing of it. He was still shocked about Rex; he was so confident that his Turtwig could beat Roark single-handedly—or one Pokémon in the least. He left with his friends, ignoring the questions they prodded at him.

Awkward silence followed.

* * *

"Why won't he talk?" Kara asked as she took another bite out of her Subway™ sandwich. It was lunch, a few hours after Noel's victory, or half-victory as it seemed to him. Slate and Lexi, across from her at their 4-seater table, just shrugged.

"I don't see why he doesn't celebrate already. He won." Slate muttered, taking a sip of his drink. Lexi decided to stay quiet, fiddling with her blonde hair while reading the sandwich options on her napkin. The shop they were in was awfully empty and it seemed awkward to just pose a conversation with people she hardly knew. Noel was just awkwardly staring at his cup, stirring the drink with his straw.

Lexi got up—

"Good idea Lexi! Let's go." Slate suddenly said, getting up as well.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, giving him a confused look.

"We'll talk about it on the way!" He said, attempting to push her towards the door,

"I was leaving to leave the city, not with you!" she snapped,

"Same same!" he replied, and successfully got her to the door without collateral damage.

"But what about my Gym Battle?" Kara called after them, hoping her audience wouldn't be so small.

"You'll do fine!" Slate called back, and the two disappeared from the glass doors.

She pouted, taking another bite of your sandwich, then turned to Noel after gulping, "I hope you won't be like this all day."

Noel looked back at her, glaring. He sighed, stood up, and exited the store to somewhere. She watched after him, confused. _...Was it something I said?_

* * *

Kara and her team of four patiently sat at the bleachers of the Oreburgh Gym, waiting for Roark to come back from his lunch break. Since none of her acquaintances were coming to watch, she decided to have a closed battle. It only embarrassed her further that she had no real audience, so why add NPC's?

"(So who's going out there?)" Emp asked in the seat next to her.

"You and Lale." she answered shortly, boredly staring at the battlefield ahead, "Shina is useless here—"

"(Heeeey!)"

"And so is Lun—"

The Buneary just continued to gawk at herself in the mirror.

"Although, Lale hardly has any good moves. Hmm, it occurs to me that we should've had more off-screen training." she muttered to herself, then turned to Lale, who was attempting to balance the Splash Plate on her lily pad. Lale tilted her head to the side in confusion, and ended up dropping the plate onto the floor with a _clang_. Her trainer sighed and picked it up, "Holding items made much more sense in the games" and dropped the plate back onto the pokémon.

"(When do I get an item?)" Emp wondered, looking up to his bored trainer.

"Whenever." she answered airily, waving him off. She received a glare, but never saw it because her hair got into her face. Randomly.

"Ready to go?" someone called at the other end of the Gym. She looked up to find Roark and the judge waiting at their respective spots of the dust-filled battlefield, and hurriedly got up and took her spot.

"Ready!" she answered, hype suddenly back. It was odd how she completely forgot about the empty audience. The intro's were short, and Roark immediately send out his Geodude, an infamous pokémon that was in _every _cave in the world. You'd wonder why he chose this pokémon for his team.

"Lale, get in there!" Kara snapped, motioning at her team in the bleachers to the arena. The water bug jumped off the side and landed on her stubs for feet, almost dropping her held item. I swear, someday they'll create a harness for problems like this.

"Use Rock Throw!" the Geodude materialized rocks into his hands and began tossing them,

"Use Mist!" the Lotad blew out white fog, and her item surprisingly doubled the power, making the fog thicker than usual. The rocks landed somewhere off, probably hitting a certain Luxio in the stands...

"Stealth Rock!" Roark commanded, Geodude smashed the ground with his fist, and magical tall stones began to encircle the little critter that was its opponent. This seemed useless to both the Lotad and her trainer, so they decided to end it,

"Use Absorb!" globs of health and energy were sucked from Geodude to Lale, and in seconds the rock dropped, just as the fogged died. Geodude was announced unable to battle, while Lale was called back to the bleachers. The floating rocks dropped.

"Go, Onix!" Roark released his rock-necklace-snake-thing onto the field, which was so tall that it had to slouch so it wouldn't bust open the ceiling.

"Emporor, you're up!" Kara waited for her penguin to get onto the battlefield, and once he did, the rocks from before sprang up and collided with him. The Prinplup ruffled his wings and shook it off, but every few seconds the rocks would spring back up and hit him.

"Onix, use Screech!" Onix let out a brain-melting scream, and it was so paralyzing that Emp had no time to move, and the rocks from before once again nailed him where it hurt. He only had half of his energy left and he hadn't even moved! It was totally messed up.

"Emp, use Bubblebeam!" the Prinplup began to move, ignoring the extra Screech that Onix began to make, and raced across the field, trying to dodge those weird Stealth Rocks that followed him like an invisible tail. He shot out his bubble bullets of death, and the rock snake surprisingly dropped.

_...Seriously? This is it? I was hoping Roark would make more of a challenge..._Kara thought as Onix was returned. The rocks finally dropped, and Emp was relieved of that stabbing feeling. "Are you okay? Do you need to switch out?" she asked him, looking over at the stands where her pokémon sat out of the corner of her eye. Her stubborn water-type shook his head and proudly stood up to face his last opponent. "Fine...have it your way you emo animal..."

"Cranidos, go!" Roark released his final pokémon, a grey lizard that looked like a Frankenstein creation. Some would wonder if that blue skull-like thing that protruded from his head was his brain. "Use Headbutt!" the fossil pokémon ran at such an amazing speed, and in a blink rammed his head into the Prinplup. Cranidos backed up, snorting, and kicking his legs back like a raged Tauros.

"Uhh...Bubblebeam?" Kara wasn't sure what to say after that performance, and her Prinplup quickly shot out his bubble-move,

"Headbutt through!" Cranidos, skull forward, busted through all bubbles and rammed Emp in the beak. This resulted in swearing and holding the hurt area.

"Ehh...Shadow Claw!" Emp ran forward with his wing shrouded with the blackness of ghost-ness, but was once again hit in the side by Cranidos' Headbutt. It was definitely becoming a problem. "Metal Claw!" while Cranidos was distracted by Lord knows what, Emp slashed his metallic wings into its cranium, making it cry out in pain and slide backwards. "Oh, so _that_ works." Kara muttered.

But it didn't matter, because one more Headbutt was enough to draw a line between exhaustion and awake-ness. The Prinplup fell forward, eyes shut. He was declared unable to battle, and was sucked back into his pokéball.

_Uh oh, this isn't looking good anymore. _Kara thought as she put away Emp's ball, wherever she kept those portable things. "Lale, you're turn!" the Lotad quickly got into her spot. "Use Abso—"

Before anyone could even blink, Cranidos rammed into Lale, sending her (and her plate) flying. When both objects separately landed, it was safe to say that the Lotad was unable to battle. She was quickly returned, as well as the Splash Plate that was strangely sucked into the red beam.

"Last pokémon! Choose wisely!" said the smirking Roark all the way on the other end of the large room.

_Ugh, I hate when people point out the obvious. That's my thing. _Kara grimaced, racking her brain as well as she could with 9 years of school packed into it, _Shina is pretty much useless, and Lun can't really do much...oh what the hell, her Frustration will blow everyone's mind once I take her away from that mirror_

"Lunybuny, put that mirror down and fight!" the Buneary tore her eyes away from her reflection and looked up, pouting at her trainer. She growled under her breath and gave the Luxio beside her the mirror, then hopped over to her spot on the arena.

"(This is who I'm fighting?)" Cranidos scoffed, "(Honey, I'll take you out to dinner tonight to make up for the pain.)

Lun rolled her eyes, "(We'll see who'll be saying that...)"

The fossil laughed, "(Oh? We'll see.)

Lun growled threateningly, getting an even louder laugh from her opponent. Both her and her trainer frowned, and readied their fists.

"Use Quick Attack!" Kara commanded, Lun hopped forward, disappearing in a blink, a white line flowing from wherever she was just at,

"Headbutt." Cranidos didn't even have to move, he just ducked his head, and his and the Buneary's skulls collided.

"(Dammit that hurt!)" Lun screeched.

"(That dinner offer is still up honey)" Cranidos smirked. The Buneary glowered at him, shaking with anger.

"Finish this with Headbutt!" Roark yelled, Cranidos quickly ran forward, skull positioned, but Lun hopped into the air at the last second. When she landed, she struck him with Frustration, fastening her feet around his neck and smashing her ears and fists into his skull, yelling so many profanities that Kara had to turn off her translator to avoid learning new words.

When the crazed rabbit was done, Cranidos had fell forward, fainted.

"Cranidos is unable to battle, the challenger is the winner!" the judge announced. Lun smirked and rubbed off the dirt on Cranidos' skull, then went on admiring her reflection again, a smile gracing her face. That all faded away when she was returned into her pokéball.

* * *

"NOOEELLLL! I won!" Kara squealed, hopping into the pokémon center. He was sitting on the couch, staring at the Toshiba TV hanging from the wall boredly. He turned his head slightly to see her run up to him, holding a tiny object in her fingers. The Coal Badge looked similar to a grey outline to a pokéball, and she went on and on in minor detail about how her pokémon won it. She wasn't sure if he was listening, because he was just staring at the TV with a blank expression. "Are you even listening?" she spat after her story.

No response.

"UGH you're making our wins sound so boring!" she yelled frustratingly, "FINE, I'll just go—" she stopped in mid-sentence, staring at the glass 'center doors. "Is that a huge chocolate heart?"

At this, he looked up. Indeed, a few feet away from the center doors was a walking chocolate heart, about 5 feet tall and 7 feet wide. On one side was Slate, and on the other side carrying most of the weight was his Nidoking. Kara dropped her pokeballs off with Nurse Joy while watching the two struggle the giant object through the doors—they got it through—eventually.

"What is that?" she asked the obvious question. The two set the giant treat on the floor.

"It's a giant chocolate heart!" Slate answered happily.

"No...I mean...where did you get it?...and WHY?"

"Finding it was the challenge, but Lexi and I managed to find a store filled with Valentine stuff, although it strange cause that was 5 months ago..." he shrugged, "And I got it to cheer Noel up!" everyone turned to Noel to see his reaction, but he was still wearing that bored face, and he just looked at his present up and down. Then he got up, and exited to the backdoor. "...What? Too much?" Slate muttered, looking back to the object he bought.

"Just a bit..." Kara nodded, "What are you gonna do with it? It's not gonna fit in the cart..."

"Well, we can cut it up like Lexi suggested. It's hollow with a marshmallow center!"

"Where _is_ Lexi anyway?" she asked, noticing the lack of the snarky 12-year old.

"I think she said something about leaving to Hearthome, she said there was a...contest?" he answered, trying to recall.

"Oh yeah, the contest!" Kara suddenly remembered as if someone had switched on a light bulb.

"Are you entering?" He wondered.

"Yup!" she answered enthusiastically, "Plus I have friends over there! We need to head over there ASAP!"

"...Hmm, calculating time and such, I think it would be better if we just left tomorrow, considering this huge chocolate heart is still in the way..."

"Fine..." she agreed, "It's kind of strange to make plans without Noel's consent though..."

"He's being a girl, just leave him alone." he shrugged, "I'm sure he'll be fine in the morning."

"If you say so..." she muttered, hoping he was right...

* * *

**Yay :D finally got the Gym chapter out of the way!**

**Thanks to iflip4dolphins, Teddiura97, and Altaria Fan for reviewing last chapter! :D**


	20. Hearthome is where Part 1 of 2

**Ugh, I slammed my finger in the door T_T typing has never been harder...**

**Anyway, this Episode is basically a reunion chappie for Kara and her friends, so if you're confused just say so :D**

**OH! _TITLE PICTURE_ and _PICTURE OF EDGAR _on profile go check it out :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 17  
Hearthome is where Her Heart is Part 1/2

* * *

"_DAY 11?_

"_Wow Tasha, it's only been a week and I've already gone through half of Sinnoh. This place is pretty small huh? I wonder if I'll be able to get all my badges and ribbons before Christmas…_

"_Wow, it's almost lunch again and we're almost in Hearthome! I'm so excited to see Ravenn and Maria…I hope I'll be able to find them. I'm sure we'll have some cliché reunion or so"_

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No.."

"Are we—"

"Kara, you've been asking the same question for five minutes straight. What do _you _think?" Slate snapped, turning to glare at her. Kara frowned and shrunk back into the passenger seat, pouting to herself in the mirror.

"I'm sorry…I just can't wait to see my besties, that's all." She muttered staring boredly at the foliage that they passed.

"Who are they anyway?" He asked.

"They're just the best friends I grew up with," she shrugged, "Nothing like Noel. Now that my memory is working again, I think I remember seeing him at my church!" both of them turned to the silent passenger, who was sleeping with his sock hat over his eyes.

"Didn't you grow up with Kayla too?" Slate asked, trying to remember all the people he's been told about the past few days.

"Yep, and hating it." She sighed, "Kayla has _way_ to much dirt on me that it's scary."

He shrugged in response, "She'll forget about it…I'm sure she's not that important to you."

"Thanks a lot…" she deadpanned, glaring at him again.

* * *

The cart soon arrived at Hearthome near 1, and as soon as they entered they found the road was tile and there were water fountains on almost every street corner. As they rode further through the city, they found useful buildings, like the fan club, poffin house, Poke Mart, and the Pokémon Center.

"Where are you?...How am I supposed to know where that is? I just got here!...YEA I'm here! Pokémon Center! Okay!" Kara hung up her PokéGear, then sighed and turned to her male companions, who were sitting in the 'Center lobby with her. "Well. My friend is here, and she's ready to give us a tour!"

"I'm in!" Slate said enthusiastically, "But uh…can I get a seat in the back? That way I don't have to hear you go ON AND ON about who knows what?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, you can sit in the back, if we're even going to be riding in a car. Chances are that we're walking." She turned to Noel, whose silence was killing her. "You know, there are a lot of girls here…would that cheer you up?"

His face went unfazed.

She sighed, "I guess it's true that I don't really know guys…"

"Know who?"

Everyone turned to the familiar voice—black Spanish hair, t-shirt with an airplane silouhette on it—it was Edgar. Kara blushed for how loud she was, and began to stammer.

"Uh-Uh…guys in general? I don't know! Hi!"

Slate sweatdropped, then got up to the Spanish guy. "Hi, I'm Slate. You look sleepy…what time did you go to sleep last night?"

Edgar lifted an eyebrow, "…I'm Edgar…? And how did you…" he turned to Kara for an answer.

"He's really observant…" she replied, sweatdropping slightly, "I think I should say sorry in advance for my…friends."

"Me too," he yawned in response, taking a seat in the couch across from her, "Cody and Kayla…last night…my God, I'm disturbed. I could not sleep AT ALL."

"Where are they?" she wondered.

"They're somewhere in town…" he waved it off, "So what's up Noel? You're abnormally quiet."

"He's being kinda quiet lately…" she said, talking for her red-headed friend.

"Why? What happened?" the Spanish fellow was suddenly interested.

"Let me tell you in HD descriptions!" Slate sang, taking a seat next to him, "Noel's Turtwig fainted in a battle with Roark, and he's not taking it well." He explained, making ridiculous faces at Noel, trying to get a word out of the red-head, "I mean, intense, yes it was, but the absorb move and all the rocks and how Noel just couldn't—"

"Slate. _Shut up_."

Everyone turned to Noel with wide eyes.

"And he talks!" Kara gasped, her smile wide, "So glad to have you back!"

"Are you really?" He asked, somehow pulling off a serious face, "I've been thinking that my irresponsible and impatient behavior has narrowed down the time I have for training, friends, and just…relaxing. Seeing Rex die out there was just heartbreaking."

"…Wow." She commented, "Those are probably the biggest words I've heard from you."

"Kara, not now." Edgar frowned, "Can't you see he's hurt?"

Her eyes softened, her smile slowly dropping, "I…I know he's hurt…I just—"

"Joking is just inappropriate sometimes." He said, "Noel, I feel for you. With my fire types against Roark…I just think I didn't have a chance. You want to go train in the back?"

"Sure" Noel agreed, standing up and following the Spanish fellow out.

"Wait up, I want to train too!" Slate said, getting up as well, "Have fun with your friends Kara." He nodded at the purple-headed teen, then followed the guys out. She watched their retreating figures, so many questions running through her head.

_Everyone is maturing…except me. _

* * *

The female trainer's Pokémon awkwardly sat in silence at the 'Center diner, staring at her through the corner of their eye. She sighed, and they went back to their food.

"(Kara sad again?)" Lale asked. Her trainer didn't understand the dialogue—her translator ran out of battery in the middle of the road this morning. She didn't bother charging it now—it's not like she wanted to talk so badly to them at the moment.

"(Just leave her alone, or we'll be facing the cold darkness of our pokéballs.)" Shina muttered, shivering at the thought.

"(_My _pokéball is filled with mirrors~)" Lun sang, still gawking at her reflection in her trainers' glass cup of water.

"(Shush Lun, she's contemplating.)" Emp snapped. She turned away from her reflection to glare at him, then went back to her reflection.

"Guys…" their trainer trailed off, "We should just...uhh…choose between training and relaxing. What do you guys think?" she stirred her drink with her straw, obscuring the Buneary's reflection. Lun screeched and smashed the glass with one of her ears, causing glass to fly and water to spill all over the table. Kara gasped, "Lun! What you do that for?" the rabbit crossed her arms angrily and turned to the window. The Luxio that sat next to her inched farther away from her in the tiny booth they were wedged into, almost pushing the Lotad off the chair in the process.

Kara muttered stuff under her breath and slid out of the booth, taking the empty plates with her. After disposing of the ceramic dishes, she went for the paper towels conveniently placed above the trash cans.

"Spill something?" someone a few feet away asked.

_I know that lisp anywhere…_Kara thought, her eyes still on the paper towel, _is that…_

She spun around, gasping, "RAVENN!"

"KARA!" her friend screamed in response, and they ignored the looks they got from various trainers and Pokémon in the area, and met halfway. "It's so great to see you again!" Ravenn said, hugging her with two arms. Kara awkwardly stood there, unsure how to hug one of her best friends.

"Uh…you too!" She squealed, the two broke apart to scan how much each other have changed over the summer.

Ravenn was tall—almost three inches taller than her, and had brown skin and brown hair in a crazy ponytail (similar to the female protagonist of Pokémon Black/White) wearing a green t-shirt with a white peace-sign on the front, jean shorts, and some converses. For a model, she didn't exactly primp her wardrobe…

"I'm so glad you're here," Ravenn said, "I haven't seen you since school ended!"

"That's because you left for the glamorous life of a model!" Kara cried out in response.

"Sigh, my dream job," her friend smiled, "You told me most of your stories so far on the road right?"

"Yep, every single one of them," Kara nodded, "Let's go sit down, my legs are getting tired from all this standing." Her friend nodded and they returned to the table, where she threw away the glass and wiped up the mess. "Oh, here's my team! This Emporor," she gestured to her Prinplup, "Shina," Luxio, "Lale," Lotad, "and Lunybuny, who broke my cup." The Buneary smiled deviously.

"Strange bunch," Ravenn commented, "with very unoriginal names."

"PFFT!" Kara cried out, laughing, "It's the best I can come up with! You should see Noel's Pokémon! Hound the Houndoom, yeah that's original."

"When do I get to meet these guys anyway?" Ravenn asked, looking around.

"Probably when the contest starts," Kara shrugged, "The guys went out to train."

"Sucks for them then, cause I'm a great tour-guide." Ravenn beamed, "Oh, and while I'm at it, meet my partner!" she took out a red pokéball and sent out a pink-kitten with a closed-umbrella for a tail.

"It's…cute." Kara said, rolling her eyes. It was typical for Ravenn to choose cute Pokémon.

"Her name is Cat," Ravenn said, petting her Skitty.

"'Cat'? And you call me unoriginal…" Kara scoffed.

"Hey, I know I'm unoriginal! You're the creative one!" Ravenn retorted. The pokémon just watched between the two, amused by their banter. "So where do you want to go first?"

"How about the Gym? I have to schedule battles." Kara replied, taking a seat. Ravenn took a chair from a table a few inches away and pulled it up to their booth.

"The…Gym?" Ravenn trailed off, placing her hand on her chin, "Huh…I thought it was a studio…" her friend gave her a confused look. "Oh—the "Gym" is also a photo studio because Fantina is the producer."

"Fantina?"

"She's the Gym Leader," she explained, "Fantina is taking all her models to the Sevii Islands for a beach shoot, so they'll be gone for a few weeks."

"Doesn't that mean you're going too?" Kara inquired.

"Nope, I'm staying to watch the Gym," Ravenn shrugged, "All I have to do is clean a bit, then I can relax in my apartment."

"What about Maria?" Kara asked, wondering where her other best friend was going.

"Oh, she's going with the rest of the models, that traitor," Ravenn spat, "She's gonna leave me all alone for three whole weeks…"

"So Fantina is going to be gone for three weeks?"

"Yep, and all Gym Battle's are put on hold till then," she shrugged, "Don't you have some badges already? Can I see them?"

"Sure" Kara replied, and pulled her silver badge case out of her bag, and opened it to reveal more than just badges. On the top part where there was black velvet around the items, were five ribbons spots, one filled. On the bottom were eight hollowed out badge spots, two filled. Ravenn gasped and touched them, her feelings written all over her face.

"It's so shiny!"

Kara sweatdropped.

"Can we tour around now?"

"Sure!" Ravenn chirped, "My horse carriage is around back."

"You have a 'horse carriage'?"

"Yep! Except for the horses, those have been modernized into bikes. And you're helping me pedal."

"But I don't know how to ride a bike!" Kara cried out, the Pokémon following shortly behind them to the parking lot.

* * *

"Why do I have a strange feeling that someone is watching us?" Slate asked while his Pidgeot, Lenze, Edgar's Growlithe, and Noel's Gengar, Genji, were facing off against each other in a trainer-less battle.

"I dunno, but I can really feel it." Edgar said, shivering slightly as though a cold wind had just rushed past.

"I know who it is," Noel whispered, and the guys had to lean closer to hear him, "It's my stalker-fan Alta. She's hiding underground."

"How can you tell?" Slate asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Maybe's he's developed a sixth sense" Edgar suggested. "The stalker-sensing-sense." The three ducked as Growlithe's Heat Wave was aimed above their head. Noel's Gengar laughed maniacally and slammed the pooch into a tree with Psychic.

"No…a lot of earth has been dug up since this battle, and I can faintly see blue strands of hair and a black sickle sticking out the ground."

"The _Grim Reaper underwater_!" Slate gasped loudly, causing all the Pokémon to stop attacking. They turned to their trainers, confused. Edgar turned to Noel with a look, and Noel just shrugged in response. (It's not his fault that Slate is so random)

"Genji, Sucker Punch at that mound!" Noel commanded, pointing to a bulge in the ground. The Gengar pulled back her fist and shot millions of bright-purple-punch-energies at the ground, causing it to explode. Three things popped out—Alta, the creepy stalker girl from the Floaroma Contest, her Absol, and a miniature memo pad. "You're taking notes now?" he asked her as she coughed up dirt.

"Maybe" she coughed out, then began to dust herself off. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt—well, brown now, with all that dirt, and jean shorts. The blue scarf around her neck was dangerously close to choking her, and the guys wondered why she would wear such an accessory in July.

"Who's this…?" Edgar asked, taking one step back.

"This is Alta. Alta, this is Edgar and Slate" Noel introduced.

"Nice to meet you all!" she said, politely taking their hands and shaking them, getting a little bit of dirt on their hands. They tried to wipe off their hands on their jeans inconspicuously without being rude.

"You know Alta, you don't have to sneak up on us to talk to us. We're reasonable guys." Noel said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"That's just taking the fun out of it." She muttered, "So uh…what are you doing in Hearthome?"

"I'm here for the badge." Noel answered.

"July…something, badge seeking…" she began to mutter while feverishly writing words on her notepad. Her Absol from beside her rolled his eyes.

"Obsessive" Edgar muttered under his breath.

"Has Spanish friend with attitude…"

"I heard that!" he said, glaring at her.

"Let's battle!" Slate suddenly said.

"…Huh?" Alta looked up from her notepad.

"You, me, battle, now! Write _that_ in your notepad stalker girl." He smirked, "Or have you run out of paper?"

She took that as a challenge. "Fine. You want a battle, you will have it."

"This otta be good…" Noel laughed, taking a seat at the sidelines. Even from here, he could see the heated electricity running through Alta and Slate's glare to each other.


	21. Hearthome is where Part 2 of 2

**WEE! The last part before the contest. I like this chappie :P it has fluff~**

**OH, and check out Tytlalis's spinoff/crack one-shot of _Alta_! :o we all do wonder what that stalker does when we're not looking...you can find this author at the review page, scroll down her profile and go to _Writers Block is Evil_**

**Poll Status: _ALTA _IS IN THE LEAD! :O props to Tytlalis, with 6 votes on Alta...**

**Disclaimer: YEESSS I FINALLY OWN POKEMON -wakes up from dream-...never mind...I don't...cause if I did, the anime would be this story instead :P Ocs belong to their owners...**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 17  
Hearthome is where Her Heart is Part 2/2

* * *

"…Are you sure this _isn't _a wagon?"

"Just let the Pokémon sit in the back…"

Ravenn glared at Kara, who was still staring at her friends' 'horse carriage'. There were two bikes on the front, attached to a car-sized roofless wood wagon with side bars and white vinyl-covered seats that faced opposite to each other. The Pokémon happily hopped into any seat, although all were in the front except Emp, who liked sitting in the back by himself. Loner much?

"That's one way to get around a driver's license." Kara muttered as she set herself on the bike on the right. _Damn thing doesn't even have a steering wheel…only a bar that joins the bike handles…_

"When we get our driver's license next year, _then _we can throw away this damn wagon." Ravenn agreed, climbing onto the other bike.

"_Aha_! It _is _a wagon!" Kara declared proudly, "Okay, let's go. Can we go visit Maria first?"

"Sure" her friend agreed, "She's at the apartment we share, packing up her things."

"I hope she forgets something for leaving us..." Kara muttered, beginning to pedal. Apparently the wagon/carriage was steered by a bar that served as a steering wheel/bar.

"She will…I've hidden _all _of her Twilight books."

"_Ooooh_ evil…"

The two continued their banter as they biked through town, with Ravenn obviously steering since she knew her way around. Soon they came to the residential area in the southwest part of town, and stopped in front of a 3-story apartment surrounded by duplicates of itself. In words of scenery, there were several people and Pokémon walking around, and the two girls ordered their Pokémon to stay in the carriage till they returned. Shina followed them in because she was…well…afraid, and Cat refused to leave her trainer alone, despite only going to their apartment.

One elevator ride later, they arrived at Ravenn's room. She went into her pockets and took out her keys, then unlocked the door (although it wasn't locked in the first place) and threw it open, only to find a mess. Her mouth hung open.

"What the…oh hell no, Maria you're cleaning this mess up, cause you know I won't!" Ravenn yelled, stomping into the apartment room and leaving her keys somewhere at the side, leaving Kara and her Luxio at the door frame. She peered inside, finding random articles of clothing covering the white carpet and suit cases taking up all the room on the black leather couch. She stepped further inside, finding the kitchen on the far right, while there was a regular stand-up TV on the left right in front of the black couch.

_Wow, impressive _Kara thought as she stepped around the clothing. Ravenn's Skitty was wreaking havoc by running around the room and tripping over the scattered clothes like a deranged nut, while Shina just sniffed the shirts with curiosity. She uncovered one shirt, and Ravenn returned from the hall, which was located from the middle of the kitchen and couch. It was actually a pretty small apartment room once you saw the whole thing.

"Oh there's the remote" she said, picking it from the floor where the Luxio found it, and clicked the TV on.

"WAIT! DON'T CHANGE THE CHANNEL!" Kara cried out, hopping in between two suitcases and holding a pillow against herself just to chew (if she wanted to).

"_Who lives in a Pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB SQUARE—_"

_Click_

"Heeeey!" She whined as the screen changed to a black background with a blue ribbon in the middle. Holding the ribbon together was an Emerald shaped as a rectangle.

"Shush, the Contest News is on." Ravenn said, shoving one of the suitcases off the couch to sit.

"_Hola Contest fans everywhere!_" said the woman on screen, "_I'm Ella Contesta! You know me as a judge for the Pokémon Contests here in Sinnoh, and now I present to you, last week's winners!_" seven pictures appeared on screen, including Kara's.

"You're on TV!" Ravenn gasped, accidentally letting go of the remote. It landed on her Skitty's head.

"_Pay attention to the ribbons you can win this week!"_ Ella said, and seven different colored ribbons grew onto the screen. The towns and days you could win them were labeled under them, as well as a countdown clock to when registration for that contest ended.

"The Hearthome Contest is in three days." Kara summed up, staring at the pretty silver ribbon that she could win. She liked it even more now, considering it was one of her favorite colors.

"That gives you plenty of time to practice!" Ravenn said.

"And there's one in Solaceon—two days afterwards!" Kara gasped, "That's great! I'll be able to make it there before registration ends!"

"UGGGH what's with the noise? I'm trying to concentrate on—" a voice said, coming from the hall. The person stopped when seeing the purple headed teen. "…KARA!"

She turned her head and gasped, "MARIA!" she shot up to accept the hug, but then froze, "WAIT. Don't squish me."

Maria rolled her eyes, "I miss my claustrophobic Kara."

"And she misses you too…" Kara replied in third-person, almost suffocating from the hug. They pulled apart, and she found that her other best friend hadn't changed that much over the summer either.

Maria had short neck-length jet-black hair, with dyed-orange tips. She had brown skin, and wore glasses, much like Kara had, only now she had contacts. Maria was pudgy and tall, which made her friend wonder why she was accepted as a model…oh well, she got in right? Unlike Ravenn, she was glamoured out, wearing a white sundress.

"I can't believe you're in Hearthome!" she squealed, "Although, I wish it would be later, cause I'm leaving for a Sevii Island shoot tonight…"

"I know, Ravenn told me." Kara muttered in response.

"I really wish I could hang out with you guys, but I _really _need to pack…"

"How 'bout you start with the lingerie that Cat is covered in?" Ravenn suggested, disgusted at the bra that was stuck on her Skitty's ears.

"Oops," Maria laughed nervously, and removed the article from the Pokémon.

"Do you have any Pokémon Maria?" Kara asked curiously.

"Nope," she shrugged in response, "I'm hoping to catch something in the Sevii Islands."

"Good luck doing that without me…" Ravenn muttered.

"Ravenn, you attract boys, not Pokémon." Maria snapped.

"I can't help it if I look like this" Ravenn teased, "Hurry up and pack, I'll be showing Kara around town."

"Cool, I'll meet you guys later for dinner."

The other two nodded and headed out the door, along with Shina and Cat.

"Don't forget your keys!" Maria called.

"Oops" Ravenn laughed, and grabbed the keys off the table and continued to run to the hall.

"Where would you be without Maria?" Kara wondered.

"Locked out" Ravenn answered truthfully. They entered the elevator, and a few seconds later they were back outside. When they went back to their carriage, they found that they had two extra passengers.

Kara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Uh…Cody? Kayla? What are you doing in my friend's carriage?"

* * *

"This is a 1-on-1 battle between Alta Reya and Slate Crimson!" Edgar announced, in the side of the battle field. The two battlers challenged each other through stares, and so far Alta was winning, since she had more experience with her "stalker"ness. "Begin!"

"Let's go, Froslass!" Alta sent out her kimono-like-ice-ghost-thing.

"Lenze, you're up!" Slate released his Pidgeot.

"You've got the type disadvantage." She pointed out.

"I know," he smirked, "I've always known."

"…Okay? Froslass, Blizzard." Froslass lifted her arms, and cold winds began to erupt from behind her.

"Use Fly!" Lenze launched into the sky, completely missing the attack. He twisted and began to swoop down—

"Confusion!" Froslass' eyes flashed blue and Lenze was shot out of the sky, and lost altitude quickly. He landed on the floor, and the wing he landed on was now tilted to the left some. Broken even. "Now use Night Shade!" Alta commanded, this strange attack surrounded the Pidgeot in a black/red orb and passed right though him, sapping his energy away.

"Use Brave Bird!" Lenze was surrounded in a blue aura, and launched himself towards Froslass, practically breaking sound barriers—

"Stop it with Blizzard!" Froslass was too slow—she was hit by Brave Bird, and that was enough to take her down. She collapsed, unable to move.

"Froslass is unable to battle! Slate wins!" Edgar announced.

"Whappa!" Slate cried out, jumping up happily.

"Lame..." Noel sang.

"Good job Froslass…" Alta smiled, returning her Pokémon. Slate returned his Pokémon as well, and found her right in his face with a notepad under her nose. "That was amazing..." she trailed off, almost unable to hold in her excitement, "I haven't been beaten in a battle since…since the Floaroma Contest! I will now stalk you."

"That's three already, I don't think she can keep up." Noel muttered to Edgar. "I guess we should go catch up with Kara now. I wonder where she went…"

"She's at the Contest Hall," Alta answered, and received looks. "…I'm a stalker! I always know where my people are at!"

"…That's…weird." Was all he could say before he excused himself to the bathroom.

* * *

"Who's carriage?" the brown skinned-dark green-headed girl echoed.

Ravenn and Kara swapped glances. "Who's this?" Ravenn hissed.

"She's from our school, remember? At lunch? The girl always dancing on the tables?"

"Oh right…" Ravenn remembered, then went up to the carriage and put her hands on the bars, "Yo, pole slut, get out of my carriage!" Kayla gasped.

"Who the hell are you?" She screamed, latching protectively on Cody's arm, bare from the leather jacket he used to wear.

"The owner of this carriage!" Ravenn replied.

"Cody, tell her off! No one calls me pole slut!" Kayla whined.

"Uh…okay?" he got up, then sat at the edge of the seat, on the side to where Ravenn was standing. "Look, she thinks we're on a carriage ride through town. I'll pay you five if you let us sit here." He whispered.

"Twenty and we have a deal." Ravenn said, crossing her arms. Cody groaned and dug through his pockets, then dropped a crumbled up twenty in her hand. She smiled and bowed, "Enjoy the ride!"

"…So what was that about?" Kara asked as Ravenn joined her at the bikes. The Pokémon were all squeezed into the front so that they wouldn't have to sit next to the cuddling couple in the back. Kara looked back to the front, "Ugh, now I know why Edgar gags…"

"I'll just assume I know these people you're talking about," Ravenn shrugged as they began peddling, "So you're entering that contest on Wednesday?"

"Yea," Kara nodded.

"There's a contest Wednesday?" Kayla asked, turning around to look at them.

"Yeah, don't you watch TV?" Ravenn spat.

"Shut up anorexic! I didn't pay for this service!" Kayla sneered.

"That's because _I_ did." Cody muttered.

"This topic has taken a weird turn…" Kara commented, receiving glares.

"Let's head over to the store, you need a dress!" Ravenn squealed, taking a crazy right turn that had all passengers swerving. Her friend groaned in response, to which she laughed, "It was gonna happen sooner or later Kara, don't deny it!"

"But I/she already have/has something to wear" Cody and Kara chorused. They gave each other strange looks as they reached the streetlight.

"You mean that silver top and skinnies? Oh no no no, you're not wearing _that_." Ravenn snapped, "I thought I taught you better in fashion…"

"I was forced!" Kara cried out.

"Hey, Shawn spent fifty bucks on that outfit!" Cody defended.

"Oh, I wanna buy a new dress too!" Kayla said, "Cody, can you pay for it?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Anything for you," he grinned, and the two resumed doing their couple-thing.

"Barf" Ravenn muttered under her breath.

"Tell me about it…" Kara agreed.

The carriage soon slowed to a stop as they neared a dress shop only a door away from the Pokémon Fan Club (refer the map to Hearthome if you have no idea where we're at). Cody parted from the girls to go to the Fan Club, while the girls entered the store and scattered with their respective dress tastes. The store was about medium sized with a little bit TOO much pink.

"Uck, I don't like these colors..." Kara muttered, staring at the pink dress that Ravenn was holding up to her.

"You're hair really throws you off, I don't think you have much of a choice. Pink is probably the only bright color that'll look good on you." Ravenn said, putting the dress back and searching through the rack again.

"Thanks a lot..." Kara rolled her eyes, "It's not like I chose to have purple hair! It's in my genes!"

"Speaking of jeans," Ravenn said, probably only listening to half of the conversation, "Why are you only wearing black?"

"I think this brings us back to the point that I don't go well with other colors" Kara shrugged, looking through the dresses on sale. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't afford half the dresses in this store, even with all the money she saved from the battles and badges she's won.

"What are you doing over there?" Ravenn said, pulling her back to the other dresses, "Those dresses are _so _last season. That's why they're cheap."

"I can't afford anything over here!" Kara whined, "I rather have money left over then spend it all on an "in-season" dress!" she said, using air quotes.

"Don't worry about the money, I'll pay for it!" Ravenn chirped, "And don't even try to protest; just consider it as an early birthday present!" her friend gave up on trying to protest with Ravenn. She always wins when it comes to fashion. ALWAYS.

"Hey guys, do I look okay in this dress?" Kayla asked, coming over with a dark green sundress on. Ravenn took one look, rolled her eyes, then went back over to browsing. Kayla obviously took this as an offense, because she placed a hand on her hip. It was becoming serious. "Okay, don't give me that you sad excuse for a—"

"OKAY YEAH HEY umm it's an okay dress." Kara intervened, who didn't give a freak about any dress in general.

"'Okay' must have a new definition then..." Ravenn muttered, "Cause it's obvious that you pulled that dress from the trash..."

"Ravenn..." Kara hissed, wanting her to _really _stop adding to the argument.

"Oh? Are you sure? Cause I think _your _outfit was pulled from the trash." Kayla shot back, leaving out Kara, who face palmed for letting this argument escalate any further. Ravenn's nails, or "claws" in this sense, dug into the material she was fingering through, basically piercing through the material,

"_What _did you say?" she spat, turning angrily to Kayla, "Kara, hold my earrings! I'm 'bout to scratch her eyes out!"

"Ravenn...you're not wearing earrings..." Kara whispered.

"Is there a problem here?" A female store clerk asked, coming towards them.

"No problem," Kayla said, answering for them, "And I'd like to buy this dress please."

"Are you sure ma'am? Someone retrieved it from the discarded fashions pile this morning..."

"Told ya it was from the trash" Ravenn muttered, and pulled a dress off the rack, "Here Kara, try this one on."

"I'm buying it anyway." Kayla stated, "And Kara, don't wear that dress. Ravenn obviously hasn't seen the hem line." with that, she stomped back over to the dressing room, probably to change. Kara looked at the end of the dress, and pushed it back immediately.

"Sorry Ravenn, she's right. I'm not wearing _that_! It's worse then what Cody's friend made me wear!"

"Fine, choose your own dress then," Ravenn spat, "I'll be outside with the carriage." she walked away, and Kara sadly watched her retreating figure. She hated getting into fights with her best friend, and the fact that it was over something as petty as a seventy-five dollar dress made it even worse. She sighed, went back over to the dresses on sale, picked a dress her size, and took it to the dressing room.

When she finished putting it on, she exited the small dressing room to look into the mirror across from it. _Snug fit, _she smiled and turned, trying to spot any faults, but instead spotted Kayla's pink-headed boyfriend.

"Nice," Cody said, joining her in front of the mirror.

"You really have no boundaries, do you?" she said, glaring at him.

"What? No one has yet to push me out of a girl's dressing room."

"You wanna bet?" she said, and aimed to push his arm, only to find nothing there, and fell forward. But instead of falling, someone caught her by the waist. "Get off me..." she growled, crossing her arms childishly.

"Nah, I like this position." he grinned.

"Kayla's coming" she said, and he instantly dropped her, making her land on her stomach with an 'oof!'. That fall definitely knocked the wind out of her.

"Sorry..." he apologized, realizing that Kayla was never there, and tried to pull her up by the forearm, only to have her yank it back. "I'll pay for the dress, if that makes you feel any better."

"Why would you do that?" she asked as she got back up, still sore. The carpet isn't exactly the softest thing in this store.

"Maybe because that dress costs two hundred?"

She gasped, "It does? Those "on sale" signs lied...and I'm not letting you pay for it."

"Let me pay for it, or I'm telling Kayla what just happened~" He said, inching towards the door.

"Don't!" she cried out, "I'm sorry! You can pay!"

He lifted an eyebrow, not expecting her to actually fall for that. "Why are _you _sorry? I'm the one who'll take the heat."

"Sure, you get a slap in the face, and I get scars from her claws!" she whined, going back to the dressing closet.

"I wouldn't let her do that to you," he said from the door to the hall of dressing rooms, "And she's not that bad as you describe her."

"You haven't known her for three years like I do." she replied, and came out with the dress in tow.

"I'm pretty sure our week together is equal to your three years," he shrugged, "Now hurry up, the others are waiting."

She sighed and followed him to the cash register, "Yeah yeah..."

* * *

"And this is the poffin house," Ravenn said, tilting her head to the right as they slowed to a stop at a stoplight.

"Ooh poffins! My Eevee will love that!" Kayla squealed, a shopping bag hanging from her wrist, "Come on Cody, let's go!"

"Okay" he agreed without hesitation, knowing he would be dragged either way. The two hopped off of the carriage and scurried into the building, allowing Kara and Ravenn to make a clean get-away by taking a right turn.

"To the Contest Hall?" Ravenn asked, eyes mostly glued to the rode, "Or Amity Square? We can walk with our pokémon there! After 200 steps we usually find items"

This enthusiasm from her black-haired friend made Kara assume that the silent treatment was over. She sighed in her head, then turned to smile at her friend. "Contest Hall!"

"Good choice, not predictable at _all_." Ravenn rolled her eyes, and they took the next right, passing the Amity Square entrance, then took a left to the massive Contest Dome. They parked it at the side and quickly found their way in, where they were met by a receptionist desk; several flat screen TV's hung around the room, all stuck on the same channel that was on Ravenn's TV earlier.

"Hello" the receptionist said, "Welcome to the Hearthome Contest Hall! May I help you?"

"I'd like to sign up for the contest." Kara answered. The receptionist nodded, and Kara gave her her Pokédex, already familiar with the procedure. Catch on quick don't she? After that was over, the two exited the dome, only to find four people waiting for them at the other end of the door.

Noel, Slate, Edgar, and Alta.

"Oh...hey?" Kara said nervously, wondering why they were looking for her. She was also wondering why Alta was here, but assumed she was registering for the contest in three days.

"Found you." Noel said, smiling for the first time today.

_I missed his smile…_she thought, sighing happily to herself.

"Guess who's getting responsible?" he asked, his smile getting so wide.

"You must've been taking lessons...not from Slate I'm guessing?" she teased.

"That's insulting..." Slate gasped dramatically.

"Speaking of responsibility, have you seen Kayla?" Edgar asked, completely ignoring Ravenn, who was ogling at him.

"Yeah, she's at the Poffin House with that pink dude!" Ravenn answered, not liking being excluded from the conversation. Kara became conscious to how they were a road block once other people arrived to sign up for the contest.

"Thanks...who are you?"

"I'm Ravenn!" she answered happily, "I'm Kara's friend! Did she tell you about me?"

"Umm...no?"

Ravenn turned to glare at her friend.

"...UMM YEAH Edgar Ravenn Ravenn Edgar yep we know each other now yeah..." Kara stammered nervously, hating all the sets of eyes on her face. "Umm...how did you know we were here in the first place?"

"Alta" the guys all chorused at once.

"I'm stalking three people now." Alta stated.

"Oh cool, there are like eight people stalking me actually," Ravenn said, stepping to the side so some people could get passed her and into the Contest Hall, "Sigh, the high-strung life of a model."

"Model?" Noel asked, furrowing his eyebrow, "Sounds like you're a stripper with that profile..."

Ravenn gasped, and was about to retort, but Kara intervened again by saying, "So umm, what else is there to do around here? Amity Square? Let's go!" she made a dramatic step forward, hoping someone would follow, but sadly she was alone.

"You know, I haven't met _you_ yet." Ravenn growled, glaring down Noel.

"I'm Noel, nice to meet you." he said, smiling.

"Please fix him..." Kara muttered, receiving a glare from him.

"And I'm Slate, it's great to finally meet you." Slate said, removing his sunglasses.

Ravenn grinned, "Aww, you we're waiting to meet me?" something started to beep, and everyone looked around. It was Ravenn's PokéGear, and she flipped it open. "Oops! Looks like I need to go pick up Maria!"

"Oh, is it time for her to go already?" Kara asked, looking at the screen Ravenn was reading off of.

"Yep! You guys wanna ride?" Ravenn asked, looking to the others.

"Actually, can you drop me off at the Poffin House?" Edgar asked nervously, embarrassed that he had to ask such a question. It's a pride thing.

"Sure, we have enough room in the carriage!" she chirped, heading towards it.

"'Carriage'?" Noel spat, having second thoughts.

"...I CALL SHOTGUN!" Slate said from behind him, and Noel sweat dropped.

"It's a carriage, there _is_ no shotgun!" he called, following quickly.

* * *

**Well, hope I didn't clutter your head with so many characters :D if you wanna review and give me a an early b-day present (which is on aug.2) then that would be awesome :D**


	22. Heartless Hearthome Contests Part 1 of 2

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 18  
Heartless Hearthome Contests Part 1/2

* * *

"_DAY 12, Maria, our bestie, has left her former friends for a Sevii Islands shoot last night..._

"…

"_How was that Tasha? Does it sound like newspaper material? YES! Maybe I'll be able to be a journalist one day! Anyway, Maria is still our friend, so I have no idea why I used the word "former". Oh well._

"_DAY 13, the contest is tomorrow. YAY! I can't wait! We spent yesterday training Shina, since I'm using her for the battle round. We still can't get her to master Roar…hopefully it'll work by tomorrow. I still don't know who I'm using for the appeal round, but after watching the eccentric Kayla practice her appeal with that rouge Shuppet of hers, I can't help but feel worried…_

"_DAY 14, contest time! I'm surprised Noel hasn't gone crazy with all the time we've spent here. I think he's ALMOST back to normal…he's speaking again, he's sarcastic, the only thing missing are his random outbursts…sigh…_

"_RAVENN IS TRYING TO DO MY HAIR. OH NO"_

"Stop struggling Kara, I'm trying to do your hair!" Ravenn yelled, glomps of her friends' hair in her hand. The purple head struggled, attempting to pry her limbs out of her extremely skinny friends' grip. Eventually she failed and was forced to sit still in a chair or get slapped with a Skitty's tail.

"You're evil." Kara pouted, glaring at her friend through the mirrors of the Contest Hall dressing room. The contest was just minutes away and they were struggling with prep time—mostly because Ravenn was trying to make her look like a supermodel. She had a _lot _to work with in Kara's opinion.

"Aww love you too" Ravenn said playfully, scooping up all of her friend's curly hair in her hands, "Ugh, you have too much hair! Can I cut it?"

"NO NO NO and no!" Kara cried out, taking her hair back.

"I'm here, your panic attacks are over!" a familiar voice said from the door of their private dressing room. The Hearthome Contest Hall was probably the biggest hall in Sinnoh, right behind the ones in Sunyshore and the Resort Area. In the door was Cody, wearing his usual 'bad boy' attire. In one of his hands was a white and gold halter sundress covered by a clear plastic-bag material.

"What are you doing with my dress?" Kara cried out, already used to the fact that he'll go anywhere that isn't guarded by an electric fence. She attempted to get up, only to be pushed back down by Ravenn, who was gathering her hair into a low ponytail.

"Oh calm down, I only took it to get it dry-cleaned." He said, tossing the dress onto her lap.

"Hurry and get dressed, I need to do your make-up." Ravenn said, shooing her into the small dressing closet.

"Get any of that stuff near my face, and I will unleash my Pokémon on you." Kara replied, locking the door. While inside, Ravenn motioned for Cody to stash Kara's pokéballs (sitting on the vanity) somewhere, to which he took and hurriedly pocketed. Kara returned to the chair, not noticing the absence of four little balls.

"Hmm, so I'm thinking some eyeliner and gold eye shadow…" Ravenn trailed off, going through her small make-up case.

"Nooo! I DON'T WEAR MAKE-UP!" Kara whined, but just as she was getting up, Cody held her arms, making it impossible to move. "No! Get that brush of death away from my contacts!"

"Hold her still!" Ravenn said, holding an eyeliner brush. Her friend continued to struggle till Cody mentioned the scene at the store's dressing room, making her freeze. Seconds seem to go too slow as Kara shut her eyes as tight as she could, disgusted at the cold feeling of the deadly brush. "Done!" her friend sang, and she could feel Cody's grip release her. She peeped open one eye, afraid to see the damage that's been done.

"Oh God. What did you do to me!" she cried out, trying to take in her new look.

"Oh shut up, I did a great job!" Ravenn retorted, "All I did was give you eyeliner. And it looks great! Not bad huh?"

"Get it off!" Kara cried out, attempting to wipe it off, but her arms were caught by Cody.

"Enough of that, you look great!" he said, "And if you try to rub it off, then I'll never give you back you're Pokémon!"

"…my Pokémon?" she looked down to the vanity, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. She dropped her arms, crossing them, "…Fine."

"Let's go sit in the waiting room and count how many guys gawk at you!" Ravenn said enthusiastically, heading for the door.

"Uhh…okay?" Kara agreed hesitantly, and followed her out the door, then stopped. "Are you coming?" she asked Cody, who was still sitting in the middle of the room.

"…Huh? Oh, yeah," he snapped out of whatever trance he was in and hurriedly exited the room, turning the lights off afterwards.

* * *

…_Oh crap I'm second! _Kara thought as she stared at the roster for today's contest. "Wait…Don's here?" she thought out loud, staring at the top of the roster by the door to the stage. She recalled him a tiny bit from that encounter at the Team Galactic building, but other than that her memory was blank. She looked around the waiting room, but couldn't spot the army-cut haired guy.

"Kara, sit! The contest is starting!" Ravenn said, pulling her over to some chairs next to Cody and Kayla. Kara could've swore she spotted the bright-blue headed Alta somewhere in the corner, but she disappeared before she could confirm the sight.

"_Hello contest fans everywhere! We are broadcasting from Hearthome City, the home of contests! It is currently 7 PM and we've got plenty of people and Pokémon performing tonight, so before we start, please meet our judges, Ella Contesta, Jarret Sukizo, and Hearthome's Nurse Joy!"_

"How come you're not judging today?" Kara asked Cody.

"He's spending his time with me" Kayla answered for him, cuddling with him.

"Barf…" Ravenn muttered, turning back to the screen.

"Agreed…" Kara replied, her stomach turning just from that. It was probably that and the anticipation of being on stage that was making her sick.

"_Please welcome our first contestant, Don from our very own Hearthome City!" _

_He's from here? _She made a face, got up, then excused herself for the stage. Her eyes were glued to the hanging flat screen TV where Don, in an Umbreon-themed suit, sent out his Glaceon named Chill. She quickly sped past the bouncer to backstage, and watched the appeal from behind the curtains.

"Chill, use Blizzard!" the Glaceon cried out, then roared out flurries of snow towards the ceiling, making it begin to snow very slow, and the stage was covered in a frosty twinkling paradise. Kara coughed out snow, almost losing her cool when caught in the middle of the attack.

"Use Quick Attack!" Chill soared up into the air, causing a white streak to follow the blue puppy, making the snow glitter even brighter. The crowd went wild over that. "Quick! Now use Shadow Ball!" the Glaceon stopped in mid-air and shot a dark purple orb towards the sky, "Now kill it with Ice Beam!" a sheer white beam was released from the Glaceon's mouth, and the Shadow Ball broke into fireworks. The sparkles from that blended with the snow, which finally subsided. Don and Chill finished with a bow.

"An amazing display to start off the show!" the MC cheered, "Now let's see what our judges have to say!"

"Aww…I need a coat." Ella pouted, attempted to cover her ears with her short jet-black hair.

"Remarkably sparkly!" Jarret cooed.

"Your Glaceon's coat has been brushed well, good job." Nurse Joy said.

"And there you have it!" the MC said, and Don and his Pokémon exited the stage, only to run into our favorite purple-headed friend. He lifted an eyebrow at her, to which she could only reply,

"S…so you're a coordinator too?"

"You're not the only one who likes to multitask." He retorted.

"Uhh—that's nice…umm…so you're from—"

"_Next we have Kara Ryka of Sunyshore City!_"

She cursed under her breath and nodded goodbye to him, then hurriedly pulled out her Pokémon's pokéball and stepped on stage, butterflies back from her first time in the spotlight. She turned her head, noticing that Don was still there, watching.

"Emporor, Time in!" she tossed the pokéball up, and her Prinplup emerged from a white light, wrapped in seaweed. His wings glowed a brilliant silver, and in a flash the binds he was in was ripped apart without effort. The crowd cheered, and he spotted Noel, Edgar, and Slate sitting in the front, just staring with lifted eyebrows. It was like they expected him to just come out the regular way.

_Regular is for normal people. _"Use Bubblebeam!" _we practiced this with Ravenn long enough, hopefully it doesn't blow up in our face like it did the first few times… _Emp span, releasing millions of tiny bubbles that bunched up in a straight line towards the ceiling. "Now crush them with your claw moves!" with Shadow and Metal Claw evident on both of his wings separately, he slashed through all bubbles, leaving a purple/silver/pink streak in the air. It was so thin that it began to fade, just like what a jet plane would leave. "Keep it up!"

Emp continued to repeat the process—bubble, slash, bubble, slash, in different directions and loops, making him look like a metal rollercoaster. "Last one!" he quickly created a tower of bubbles, then destroyed it from the top down. All the left over streaks made the faint symbol of a star with a line through it in the air. The Prinplup finished with a pose, and the crowd cheered loudly.

"And another stunning performance!" the MC cried out, "Judges?"

"Cute…" Ella trailed off, not really looking anywhere. Kara wondered if she was even watching.

"Remarkably interesting!" Jarret said, unsure how to answer.

"Amazing how your Prinplup was able to have one wing purple and the other silver. Very well done." Nurse Joy said, and the two quickly exited the stage. Don wasn't there, so she shrugged and returned to the waiting room with her Prinplup tucked away inside his pokéball. She immediately went back to Ravenn, who was squealing when she arrived.

"How did I—"

"AHH! THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"I guess so, since you didn't let me finish my sentence…" Kara muttered, and yelped as blue-haired Alta popped out of nowhere. "Ahk! Alta, you're really good at this stalking thing!"

"Why thank you." Alta replied, and pulled out her infamous notebook, "I'd give your performance and 8 out of 10…for a beginner. "She said whilst writing her words down, "Once you see mine, I'll return for a rating." With that, Alta and her ridiculously long ponytail that defies gravity walked away. A shiver ran up Kara, Ravenn, Kayla, and Cody's spine.

"Seriously, what is _up _with her?" he said, and the others just shrugged.

"Look babe, she's up there now!" Kayla said, pointing to the flat screen TV. It was true; somehow Alta was fast enough to get on stage without missing her cue. That obviously wasn't surprised for those four. On the stage, a giant blue bird wearing a cloud was sent out, forever known as Altaria.

The appeal began with Steel Wing, making those cotton wings glow brightly. They continued to glow as the Altaria did Swords Dance with them, and it was so beautiful that it brought most of the people in the front row to tears, including Slate, who was being so over-emotional that his wails were the loudest in the stadium. The pair were quickly judged in positive words, then stalked off stage.

"Uh oh, she's coming back. No one tell her where I'm going!" Kara cried out, stepping towards the exit to the lobby,

"Wait, where _are _you going?" Cody called behind her,

"SOMEWHERE!" she replied, and disappeared from view.

* * *

Noel lifted an eyebrow at the person who plopped herself in the seat beside him. "…Welcome back?"

"Help me…" Kara whispered, slinking into her seat, that way no one would be able to see her from the stage. The appeal on stage exploded in front of their eyes, but they were a bit too pre-occupied at the moment to notice.

"With what?" He asked.

"…Alta," she replied in monotone, "She's really creeping me out…"

"Can't handle the fame?"

"But I'm not famous!" she replied in a high-pitched voice, "PLEEEASE keep her occupied!"

"And what can I do that will do that?" he asked, flashing her a dumbfounded face.

"…I dunno! Talk to her! I don't wanna keep hiding…" she replied, "Oh hey look, Kayla's on."

"You're letting Alta get to your head a bit too much…" he muttered, and turned back to the stage. Kayla tossed a ball up, releasing her Shuppet. It wasn't nicknamed, apparently.

"Shadow Sneak into the ground!" Kayla started, pointing towards center stage. Her Shuppet dove into the ground, and became a black spot in the ground. He floated around, pouncing like some over energetic Skitty. (MayandRavenn'scoughcough) "Now Night Shade!" Half red/black orbs erupted from the ground, causing mini-explosions. The crowd was unsure how to react.

"I can't watch this next part…" Edgar groaned.

"Why? Is something gonna happen?" Kara wondered.

"Yep…every time she tries it something horribly goes wrong…" he replied, taking the time to sit in his seat backwards.

"Even the more reason to watch!" Slate chirped, and forcibly got Edgar to look at the stage just as a huge explosion occurred at Kayla's feet. The crowd gasped, and black smoke, smelling like burnt wood, filled the area. Edgar groaned and got up, then went…somewhere. Kara watched his retreating figure, already seeing the ulterior motive for him leaving…it was too painful for him to see her hurt.

The smoke finally cleared, and all that was left was Kayla holding a Shadow Ball in her fingers. She tossed it at Shuppet, who caught it on his horns and began to spin it like a basketball. It faded as the judges commented on the appeal.

"Dangerous! Exciting! I like it!" Ella grinned wildly. She may have been caught in the explosion, considering her eye is twitching, and her hair looks screwed up.

"Remarkably…remarkable!" Jarret said, and received looks from the other substitute judge beside him.

"Very interesting…" Nurse Joy nodded, since she was at a loss for words. Kayla grinned and hopped off stage, her Shuppet behind her.

The rest of the appeals were displayed, but Kara stayed in the crowd, away from the drama in the waiting room backstage. Eventually Cody and Ravenn joined, leaving Kayla to Alta by herself. Of course, no one really knows where the blue-haired girl went…

"And now here are the contestants who will go to the next round!" the MC announced, gesturing to the flat screen above her.

"Looks like Don made it in first…" Kara muttered under her breath.

"But you made it too! Right behind him in second!" Ravenn squealed.

"Kayla is last—but at least she made it." Cody shrugged.

"Which leaves Alta right behind Kara…" Noel shivered just at the name of her. It was like he could feel her eyes on his back.

"Oh great, guess who I have to battle first?" Kara spat, turning angrily to Cody. He looked up to the screen, and let out a low whistle.

"Kayla huh? This'll be interesting…"

"I think I'm going to escape this heated war by going to the bathroom…" Noel said, getting up,

"I'm with ya buddy!" Slate said, following him. Noel didn't even bother to point out how wrong that sounded.

"So are you nervous?" Ravenn inquired, stealing Noel's seat.

"No…" Kara trailed off, then stared back at the monitors, _Yes…_

* * *

**Woo, contest~contest~**

**Ahem, anyway, we have a black out in my house so I'm doomed for a while O_O hopefully it'll come back before I die of internet-less-ness**

**Oh, and if you haven't seen already, new pictures of Kara, Noel, and other stuff are up :D **


	23. Heartless Hearthome Contests Part 2 of 2

**Ugh, school coming up after next week. Stupid uniform. Blah. Anyway, blah blah pokemon does not belong to me blah blah OCs belong to their owners and such **

**

* * *

**

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 18  
Heartless Hearthome Contests Part 2/2

* * *

Kara fiddled with her Luxio's pokéball, sneaking a glance at her opponent every few seconds to see if she changed faces. When she realized she was just being paranoid, she stopped. _This will be my first official battle with Kayla..._she looked out on stage, not surprised at the fact that Don's Luxio won that battle in one minute flat. _If I win this battle, will it be two Luxio's at once? Slate was right, that IS confusing..._

Don and the NPC passed them into the waiting room, and Kayla smirked, shaking her neck, cracking the creaks out, "Well, it's our turn. Scared yet?"

"...No...Why should I? I'm the one with two badges!" Kara pointed out.

"Badges mean _nothing _in battles—you should know, since you have two _badges _to prove it," Kayla retorted, somehow seeming smart, "This is a contest—you think you're cut out for it? I still stand by what I said from day 1—you'll _never _be able to finish any of that before the Grand Festival."

_I'M the one with a ribbon Kayla, _Kara wanted to say, but they were called on stage before she could voice her mind. The two dispersed into their spots, and the MC announced their names and such, then dramatically said, "BEGIN!" as the clock above them ticked down to 4:59.

"Shina, Time in!" Kara released her Luxio from its ball. The mini-lion roared out to show its gusto, but once she saw the crowd, her cry died to a faint whisper.

Kayla was still smirking as she released Ferrera—her shiny Sentret. Ferrera looked around, and just like Shina, was intimidated by the crowd. Kayla decided to attack first, and commanded a Quick Attack. Shina stepped to the side, making the tiny ball of a raccoon thing hit the wall. Kayla's points dropped.

"Shina, use Spark!" the Luxio shook it's fur, then let out a battle cry and rushed towards the Sentret, fur cackling with arms of electricity.

"Use Slam!" Kayla countered,

_It knows SLAM already! _Kara gaped as both pokémon collided—the electricity from Spark didn't go through, which meant that her points declined dramatically. Damn scoreboards and their uneven judging.

"Use Slam again!" Kayla ordered, obviously not holding back. The quick little squirrel slammed into the Luxio once more, sliding her backwards on stage.

"This isn't going well." Ravenn muttered.

"Can you blame her?" Cody replied, "Kayla's been working her ass off, training that crappy squirrel."

"Same for Kara!" she retorted, "So why isn't she winning!"

The battle continued—Kayla's Sentret continued to slam into Shina, who was doing nothing to stop it. Kara seemed to be lost in her own world, confused at how Kayla was able to raise such strong pokémon in a small amount of days.

"Lux!" Shina cried out in pain, finally snapping her trainer out of her reverie.

"Night Slash!" happy to finally hear a command, Shina raised her claw and struck, sending Ferrera rolling off to the side. "Now use Bite!"

"Fury Swipes!" Kayla quickly ordered, her Sentret's claws were long and bright, obviously filed during some manicure, and sliced through Shina's fur like the hair it was. Kara checked the points—she had a fourth while Kayla still had half! And there was only a minute left! There was _no _way she was letting Kayla win, she'd kill herself if that ever happened.

"Use Spark!" Shina quickly tackled the Sentret, the electricity tentacles frying the rodent like an undercooked chicken, but it didn't give up without a fight.

"Fury Swipes!" Ferrera raised her claws, but Shina bared her fangs and snapped it over the claws, snapping them in half. The oddly colored Sentret cried out in pain and fell backwards off her tail, and Kayla cried out, "No! Ferrera, we _just_ got your nails done too!"

X's appeared on the judges electronic desk thingies, and Kara and Shina's pictures appeared on the big screen with the title "winner" up in pretty letters. The crowd cheered and the girls hopped off stage, and just when Kara was about to say something, Kayla stopped her with a glare.

"Ugh! I'm tired of you being better than me!" she cried out,

"But—" Kara started,

"Burn in hell!" Kayla replied, then swiftly turned on her heel and left.

Kara stared after her, pouting at her dramatic exit. She crouched down to eye level with her Luxio and patted her head, then said, "You think she'd feel better if we paid for her and Ferrera to have a mani-petti?" her Luxio shrugged in response.

* * *

The battle rounds continued with Alta beating an NPC and going to the next round as well. Now there were only four people left, and the schedule was Don vs. some other person and Kara vs. Alta. The purple head was in hysterics as she waited backstage with Cody who was just watching her off the side, probably laughing at her.

"And then she'll win! Ah! I can't lose, cause that would really suck, with my bestie watching and all!" she continued yammering, but her words just went through one of Cody's ears and out the other. "But she's still stronger than me! And Shina isn't that strong! I mean, yeah, we trained, but it's not enou—"

"Kara, you beat her before! What's the problem?" he inquired in the middle of her rant.

"Uhh…I dunno…" she trailed off, now staring blankly at the floor, "I completely forgot about that last thing…"

"But everyone gets stronger, so I can see her toppling you this time." He shrugged.

"I knew it!" she declared dramatically, "I'M GONNA LOOOSE! WAAAAH!"

He rolled his eyes and began to push her to the end of the open curtains, "Shut up and go!" he said, and shoved her on stage, despite her protests. The stage light shone on her and her rival, who had appeared miraculously at the same time. Don and the other person who lost to him exited the stage, sending knowing looks. Kara let out a huff, feeling as though she did something wrong.

"So…where have you and your friends been hiding?" Alta asked in a low voice as they walked to the middle of the stage.

"You would know." Kara retorted, crossing her arms boredly as the MC introduced them to the crowd.

"Yeah, I would" Alta replied, grinning, "Middle bleacher, 2nd row, middle left seat…"

"Is there anything you _don't _know?"

"Hmm…is your house in Sunyshore the one by lighthouse or the beach?"

Kara gaped at her, but couldn't answer because it was time for their battle. The two separated to their spots and pulled out their pokéballs, then waited for the MC;

"5 minutes on the clock, _BEGIN_!"

"Shina, Time in!" Kara released her Luxio onto the stage.

"Absol, let's go!" Alta sent out her Absol. "Use Metal Claw!" her white demon cat-thing disappeared quickly, and a bright white streak that came from its claws revealed its location.

"Spark!" Kara quickly called, but Shina couldn't gather enough electricity for the move quick enough, and was hit with the beautiful silver claws.

"Dark Pulse!" Alta commanded, her Absol quickly shot dark purple rings at the Luxio—

"Use Roar!" Once again, Shina was not quick enough to use her move, and was struck with Dark Pulse. The move shot her at the wall behind Alta, but she quickly recovered and returned to the stage before she was declared unable to battle. Shina growled at the Absol, and turned to her trainer for help.

"Ehh…Night Slash!" the Luxio charged towards Absol, her claws covered in dark energy—

"Use Flash!" Alta cried out, her Absol was instantly turned on like a light bulb, blinding everyone near and far, including Shina, whose claws began to fade back to its regular color. Kara looked up to the scoreboard—she only had half of her points left while Alta still had a full circle!

"Use Bite!" Shina lashed into the blinding white fur and sunk her teeth into it, eyes closed, making Absol cry out in pain and throw her off. Absol's fur faded back to its white color, but Alta's points still reigned over Kara's by a lot, and time was ticking down to 2 minutes. "Spark!"

The Luxio's fur was quickly charged with electricity, but just as she was about to attack, she got a Dark Pulse in her face. This was getting very frustrating, and Kara's points were down to ¼.

"Use Razor Wind!" Alta yelled, and Absol began to gather wind.

"Shina!" Kara tried calling her Pokémon, who was just staring blankly into space, "Shina! Are you still there?" the Luxio blinked back at her trainer, then quickly ran back to her trainer's side, far from Absol, who was still gathering wind.

"Unleash the wind," Alta said calmly, smirking. Absol sliced the air with its sickle, and a huge wind-blade formed from it,

"Use Roar to destroy it!" Kara quickly said, and Shina let out a roar—but like all the other times before, all that came out was sound. The blade hit, and the Luxio let out a cry of pain before collapsing from the black smoke the hit made. When the smoke cleared, X's appeared on the judges panels.

_WHOA. Did we just…lose? _The purple headed teen gaped, and Alta and her Pokémon cheered and exited the stage, leaving her and her black mini-lion to themselves. She quickly returned her Luxio, and turned away from the crowd, not wanting to see her friends faces. She stormed off the stage, and for a half-second, she almost felt what Kayla felt. _Losing sucks…_

* * *

Kara was back in her dressing room with Ravenn, her contest costume hanging on the chair she was sitting on. Her friend was fixing her hair, since the ponytail had really skewered it up. When done, said friend and her Skitty just sat on the futon behind her.

"…Are you okay?" Ravenn questioned.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that…" Kara replied, "It's just the start. Next thing you know the guys will storm in with that exact same question."

"Hehe…sorry."

"_And that's it! Don has won the Hearthome Contest!" _said the MC from the intercom; Kara's head shot up, and she looked up to the ceiling where the speakers were.

"Wait…so Alta lost against him?"

"Everyone loses sometime" Ravenn shrugged.

"I guess you're right about that…" Kara muttered. The door opened and Cody walked in, holding a tub of dots ice cream.

"Hey!" he greeted, walking in, "You got _owned_!"

"You're soooo positive…" she moped.

"Aww, come on, we can't win 'em all…" he said, attempting to turn her frown upside-down.

"That's what I said!" Ravenn cheered.

"Here, for you" he said, placing the ice cream in front of her face.

"Sorry, but ice cream isn't going to cheer me up." She stated, keeping a straight face.

"Fine, I'll eat it." He said, but before he could grab the cup, she snagged the cup and ran out the door, whooping with the spoon between her teeth. "That was…strange."

"Never come between her and her ice cream…" Ravenn sweat dropped.

* * *

"_DAY 15, it strange doing a text in the middle of a chapter…_

"_Anyway, I've gotten over my loss…oh well! I've decided to leave this town today, because just looking at the contest hall brings back those bad memories. Ravenn's kind of sad that I had to leave, but Fantina actually called her last night…apparently she'll be able to make the Sevii Island shoot after all! What a happy ending for her…_

"_Don stopped us on the way out—apparently he wanted to challenge Noel to a battle, but the scene went a little like this…_

"Guys! Wait up!" a familiar voice called behind their moving cart, which was nearing the edge of town. The Alakazam that steered the cart with Psychic slowed it to a stop, allowing Don and his Glaceon to catch up to him.

"What's up?" Noel asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Noel, let's battle! You and Kara are my rivals right? Let's test your strength!"

The red head swapped looks with his roadies. "Sorry Don, maybe another time. We really need to get to Solaceon…"

Don's expression was crestfallen. "…Okay! Then it's settled! Next time we meet, we'll battle it out! I'm determined to make us rivals!"

"Weird, he's determined just as much as I am to have all the sands in the world stirred in one pot…" Kara muttered.

"You have strange goals…" Slate replied, forgotten off to the side.

"You're on Don, we'll battle next time we meet! You better be prepared to lose!" Noel called as Kado started the cart. Don flashed them a smile, the fire of a rival gleaming in his eyes.

"_Anyway, we should be in Solaceon by lunch, maybe a little longer. Just wait for us Tasha, cause we're coming!"_

* * *

**Okay, YOU MAY NOW FORGET ABOUT RAVENN AND MARIA. JUST GET THEM OUT OF YOUR HEAD. I give you permission to forget about teenage 15 year old models who live in Hearthome.**

**Anyways, school is coming up soon (such a depressing fact) so there's really nothing new, I'm pretty sure something like education won't get in the middle of me and writing stuff. We'll see. Hmm...**

**Oh, and don't forget to review! WE'RE ALMOST AT 100! :O JUST 8 MORE...**


	24. Life in the Eyes of Lotad

**For a filler chapter, I decided to try out a Pokemon's POV, so enjoy this chap in the eyes of Lale :3 (a.k.a., the Lotad)**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 19  
Life in the Eyes of Lotad

* * *

"_Shawty's like a melody in my head that I can't keep out, got me singin' like na na na everyday, s' like my iPod's stuck on replay, replay ay—can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face!"_

"Hey! You changed the station!" my trainer spat at the guy with the blue v-neck and aviator sunglasses.

"Lady Gaga is sexy! Don't you dare touch that dial Kara!" he replied. Her finger was inching towards the radio anyway, and he had to reach past the sleeping Noel to slap her hand away. Noel shot up, making Slate pull his hand back.

"Whoa. WHOA. GUYS I was just dreaming about the fifth pudding dimension, so shut up or I'll throw the radio out the window!" He yells. Kara shrinks and Slate 'hmph's.

"Switch it back to Iyaz."

"Keep it on Lady Gaga."

"Iyaz."

"Gaga."

"Iyaz!"

"Gaga!"

"IY—"

"_Guys!_"

"Sorry…" the two fourteen year olds chorused, and were quiet for the next few minutes.

Hi! I'm Lale the Lotad! You may know me as one of Kara's underused Pokémon—well, I don't mind! I love spending time with Lunybuny, Emporor, and Shina, but right now I was on my own, out of my pokéball and watching the humans fight over the magic box thingy that talks and sings. Kado was chuckling, and my trainer was glaring at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Lale said that she likes the Top 40 station better." She says.

I did?

"Oh yeah? Well she also said that she doesn't like hearing that same song 100 times every hour." Slate retorts.

When did I say that?

"You should really stop talking for inanimate objects" Noel says from under the sock hat covering his face. I jabbed him in the side, making his hat fall off his face. Unfortunately, he catches it just in time. "Kara!" he says in an accusing matter,

"I didn't do it!" she whines.

"Whatever. Kado, stop the cart, I need to go to the bathroom!"

Surprise surprise.

The cart takes a right turn, and we find ourselves out of the forest and in a clearing with a lake right in front of us. All my buddies are released from their balls, and the pandemonium begins. Noel and Slate's Pokémon were playing poker—Noel's Blastoise and Turtwig usually win because they stash cards in their shells. Oops! That was supposed to be a secret! It looks like the pokémon were betting on a packet of cookies, wherever they got those…

"AHH! My cookies are missing!"

…And that was my trainer. I turned to her amusingly as she faced a drawstring bag with a hysterical/horrific face. I crawled up to her tilting my head. She looked down at me, half pouting, half frowning. She dropped the bag onto my head, then said,

"I bet Slate's Pokémon took it! Come on!" she says, and marches over to Slate, who was examining Shina's teeth.

"Hmm, all seems fine, are you sure it's your teeth that's the problem?" he says.

"I can't roar! It's gotta be something in my mouth!" Shina whines, but the Pokédex-like human couldn't understand and continued to look at her canines with a magnifying glass, wherever he keeps that. He always has strange things in the tightest of spots. His Pokémon tell me the location of their balls is not pretty.

"Slate!" my trainer snaps, both Shina and him look up, "Your Pokémon stole my food!"

"…And?"

"'And'? IT'S A CRIME!" she whines.

"Yeah…see ya…?" He walks away with the magnifying glass in hand, but Lunybuny takes it with her ears and begins to stare at her reflection in it. A second later I spotted Lun and I's trainer on the edge of the lake, scarfing down pie. I walked over to her, but next thing I knew I was picked up and used as a pale.

"Get away! It's my pie! MINE!" she screeched, using my head to flick water onto Slate, who was inching towards us with a fork. OH MY GOD HE'S TRYING TO EAT ME!

"That's the last pie slice! Let me have some!" he replied, and the fork gets closer to my eyes! I use Mist, obscuring the area with white fog.

"Woo! Here Lale, hide the pie!" I was put down and something was placed on my head, and I hurriedly scurried out of the area. I'm glad I'm away from those lunatics, cause they were about to eat me! Who eats bugs anyway?

Well, Noel dared Slate to do it one time, but it was one of those caterpie things.

I arrived in the middle of the poker game, and found myself on top of Kara's cookies.

"Hey, Lale brought us more stuff to bet on!" Barren the Blastoise says, "And just when Lenze said you were useless!"

I turned to glare at Slate's Pidgeotto.

"Uhh…MY PIE!" Lenze says, and closes down on my hat, taking the pie away and stuffing it down his beak.

"Aww, I was so looking forward to eating that!" Noel's female Gengar protests.

"He beats us to the food every time" Rex says, "Oh, and FLUSH!" he sets down his cards, and the rest of the Pokémon around groan and reveal their hands.

"He's cheating!" Slate's Nidoking protests, "It's just not fair!" he then proceeds to slam his tail down on the ground childishly. Blastoise hits him with a water pulse out of one of his big gun thingies protruding from his shell, making him tumble backwards all the way into the lake.

"Hey! You're getting my food wet!" my trainer barks from the side of the lake.

"Is she going to eat all day?" Rex the Turtwig asks Emporor.

"You should be used to it by now" Emp replies, "Can someone deal the next hand? Our _other _dealer fell into a lake."

"I'll get it!" Lunybuny says, and grabs the cards with her ears.

"Oh please, last time you tried that, we lost all of our cards down a rabbit hole." Emp replied.

"Which I got _back_!" she retorted, "Now watch, I've been practicing!"

"Where does she fit in practicing with her schedule with the mirror?" Hound mutters, getting a laugh from Shina, who was settled next to him. Sometime I wonder if they get _too _cozy…

"Oh shut up and watch!" my Buneary friend snaps, and launches the cards into the air, then hops up and kicks them all towards other people, and propels other cards with her ears. It was like she was a ninja in a storm of paper!

"Hmm, that would've been good if you _didn't _show the cards we get." The burly Blastoise says, taking his cards into his shell.

"It wouldn't have mattered anyway, you and Rex cheat by switching cards!" Lun snaps,

"Who told you that?" He replies, and turns towards me, but I jump behind Emporor just in case,

"No one had to; we can see you doing it!" Lun says.

Just before my friends were about to brawl it out for petty reasons, the human who was always in the woods peeing returned.

"Okay guys, let's roll! We have another hour drive till we reach Solaceon!" he says, returning all his Pokémon into their balls. All the cards that were in Barren and Rex's shells dropped to the ground, and Lun picked it up with her ears,

"AHA! I _knew _you were cheating! I want my mirror back!"

"Lun, you can stop now!" our trainer sang as she got up to us. She gathered up the cards and put it in the box, then gave it to the rabbit, "You guys could always play some more in your pokéballs. Oh, and I like that thing you did with the cards…do you think you might like to do it at the contest tomorrow?" Lun nodded enthusiastically, then was returned into her pokéball, as well as the deck of cards she was holding. Shina and Emp were returned as well, leaving me all by myself. "So…where's my pie?"

I gulped nervously and knocked my pokéball out of her hand, then returned myself. I will _not _face hell today!

The End.

* * *

**...TERRIBLE I KNOW! T_T I feel like it's confusing whenever I go back to 1st person, especially for pokemon. Like how do they think? How do they get along with the other pokemon? How does Palkia fit into a pokeball?**

**-ignored that last rant-**

**Just going to put this here unless you forgot certain pokemon's names:**

_Current Pokemon_

Kara

(MALE) Prinplup - Emp/Emporor  
(FEMALE) Luxio - Shina  
(FEMALE) Lotad - Lale  
(FEMALE) Buneary - Lun/Lunybuny

Noel

(MALE) Blastoise - Barren  
(MALE) Houndoom - Hound  
(MALE) Kado - Alakazam  
(MALE) Dodrio - Dude _PC/Home  
_(FEMALE) Gengar - Genji  
(MALE) Turtwig - Rex


	25. Friends that Tie Loose Ends

**Hola! I'm back from a...weird first week of school, and just as I thought...its EVIL. DARN YOU HIGH SCHOOL. Anyways**

**Okay, don't hate me, BUT YOUR MEETING 2 NEW CHARACTERS TODAY! I promise that they will be the LAST in a looong time, so bear with me. Here's a backstory of them::**

_Girl 1: Kara's number one bestie who she always texts her journals to._

_Girl 2: Kara's cousin._

**Everyone else you might remember, FORGET 'EM! I'll remind you about them later. **

**Oh, and this chapter is nooot in Lale's POV, if anyone was wondering. That was a one time thing...maybe two-time if I ever need another filler chapter. Read on pplz :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 20  
Friends that Tie Loose Ends

* * *

"_DAY 15, CONTINUED,_

"_OMG TASHA, worst thing just happened on the road T_T I was eating my food, then it was stolen! So I took the pie I had kept in the cooler, and SLATE TRIED TO EAT IT! I mean really, MY PIE. WHY CAN'T HE UNDERSTAND THAT._

"_Anyway, other then finally meeting up with you again, I'd like to stress the fact that I am also here for my cousin, MARY. Or as I like to call her…MARY-SUE. UGH. She's SOOO perfect, she's nice, strong, independent, has a perfect body, and ALL her Pokémon are shiny! She's eighteen and has a perfect life working in the Solaceon Daycare, and what's more, YOU'RE HER APPRENTICE! Sigh. _

"_AHH! We're here! See ya in a few! …and Mary. Blah."_

The trio and their psychic fox entered the town in their multi-purpose golf cart. It was a pretty small town to be honest—you could ride straight through the town in five minutes and be back in the wild again. There were several plants and flowers around, almost like Floaroma, only berries triumphed over the flowers. On the left side of the road was one building that took up the whole left side of town—the Daycare. It was pretty hard to miss it. A white picket fence stopped people from trespassing and Pokémon from escaping, although most Pokémon that they housed could merrily jump over the fence. On the right side of the town were a few neighborhoods, the PokéMart, and the Pokémon Center, where the trio and their golf cart parked as soon as they entered the homey town.

"So," Noel started, "Slate and I will wander around town while you catch up with your friend, come on Slate—"

"NO" Kara stopped them before they could go anywhere, "I've been telling Tasha about you guys since day 1; it's only fair that she meets you!"

"Didn't you say you're cousin was here too?" Slate asked, she nodded.

"Is she hot?" Noel inquired.

"…I don't know! I don't think about family that way!" she replied, "You'll have to stick around to find out! But just in case you try and run away, I have Kado on my side."

The guys were confused by what she meant, but once they tried to move, they found themselves stuck in the air. Noel's Alakazam laughed in the background, receiving glares from his owner and owner's friend.

"Traitor" Noel grumbled.

"Damn psychics" Slate agreed, covering his face with his sunglasses so the passerby's wouldn't be able to see his face. Kara rolled her eyes and chained their golf cart in place, then took her bag and checked through her PokéGear's messages.

_Tasha: I'll be right there! I can't wait to see my kaiwa! :3_

She sweatdropped at her little device and put it away. Just as she was about to reach for something else in her bag, something in the shadows attacked her arm and sunk its teeth into it. She only had to blink before the pain began to surge in her arm, and she screamed,

"AHH! What the heck is this! Get it off get it off!" she wailed, flailing her arm around. It only made the thing bite harder—it was like her arm was caught in a rattata trap. Painful.

"You're on your own sister" Slate said, and was able to turn around and cross his arms, despite the Alakazam's psychic hold.

"Agreed—Gible extraction is someone else's job" Noel said, covering his face with his hat, and Kara glared at the two. She looked down at the creature—it was a land shark, blue, with a long head fin and ridiculously sharp teeth. It was only a matter of minutes before her arm would be chewed off.

"…OH MY GOD! Chomp-chomp, let go of her!"

The Gible's teeth stopped, then loosened its grip on her bare arm. It landed on the floor, tasting its teeth. It smiled in satisfaction…

"Carnivore…" Kara muttered, rubbing her arm where the bite marks were. It was worse than that time when her hand got caught in her Grandmothers Slowking's spikes! Not a happy memory. She looked up to her savior, her eyes lighting up, "Tasha! There you are!"

Her friend smiled, then slapped the land shark, "Sorry about that, my stupid Gible is always eating people…"

"You should really get that fixed" Noel said from the sidelines. He got several glares from the females. As for appearances, Tasha was brown skinned with dark brown eyes, and had short jet-black hair with the front bangs dyed white, for some strange reason. She was wearing a pink jersey with the words 'Team Jacob' embossed on the back, jeans, and some sandals. Both of her arms were covered in scratches.

"It's so great to see you Kara! I missed the old times…" Tasha dramatically ran her finger down her eye as if there was a tear there.

"Me too! I miss Sunyshore so much…" Kara replied with a sigh, slightly covering up the arm that was mauled by her friend's Pokémon.

"I'm actually surprised you wanted to do a journey, let alone walk around the whole country with that lazyness of yours," Tasha commented with an innocent smiled.

Kara glared playfully, "Whatever! At least in our group of friends I didn't turn out to be a model…or a Daycare assistant."

"It's a step up, trust me." Tasha grinned, "So who are your friends? Wait, let me see if I remember from your texts—Noel and Slate?" she pointed,

"Actually, it's the other way around," Kara sweatdropped, "But they're basically the same, they're goofy and are always abandoning me."

"Not true!" Slate protested, "I am _much _smarter than Noel!"

"Ouch…" Noel muttered, "And I _am_ smart, I just choose not to sound it!"

"Could've fooled me" Tasha said, "Are you guys hungry? Mary is cooking up lunch…"

"My cousin is cooking without needless packaging and preservatives? That's a first…" Kara gasped, "And we might as well, since your Gible bit a chunk out of my arm…"

"Heh…sorry! He does that. You wouldn't _believe_ the number of people who lose their hands when they roam around the Daycare at night…" Tasha sweatdropped, leading them in the general direction of the Daycare.

* * *

The four teens and two Pokémon quickly arrived at the Daycare house, which was about three stories high and about the size of an elementary school. They entered to the lobby, which was manned by a teenage boy who was probably playing solitaire on the computer. He and Tasha exchanged nods and then she led the group down the right hallway, although Slate tried to stray to the doors on the left, which led outside. He gave in when a Gible was thrown at him.

The hallway that they went down almost had an 'S' shape—it opened doors to Pokémon rooms and storage, as well as café's for wandering Pokémon trainers who were waiting for their Pokémon. They finally reached the end of the hallway to a stairwell—and climbed up it, of course. There was _another _S-shaped hallway to match the one downstairs, but they didn't go all the way through it, to the trainers' relief. Instead, they came upon a door with a number, almost like a hotel door.

"Mary, you in there?" Tasha called, knocking on the door. Her Gible began to talk in its language as well, probably to warn her that he'll chew the doorknob off if she doesn't open it.

"Come on in!" Said a voice on the other end of the door. Kara began to feel uneasy at the thought of reuniting with her mary-sue of a cousin, and she was about to run away if Tasha's Gible hadn't locked its beady eyes on her leg. Her friend opened the door, and inside revealed a couch, TV, and a kitchen on the far right. The person who occupied this room was at the sink, washing her hands. She turned away from the sink and wiped her hands on her jeans, then smiled at her guests. "Hey! Come right on in guys!"

_Great, she's already won them over with her hospitality. _Kara grumbled to herself as she entered her cousin's dorm. She could already smell the scent of food coming from the oven, and her never-satisfied stomach growled. Her cousin laughed and let them get cozy.

"Wow Kara, I haven't seen you in the longest time!" Mary smiled at her.

"Hi." Kara grumbled in response, taking a seat at the round table in between the kitchen tile and living room rug.

"Someone's crabby~" her cousin sang. Mary, like her cousin, had purple hair, although it was more in the lavender shade instead of eggplant, and her hair was up in a short ponytail. She was tall, almost as tall as their fridge, as was wearing a jean jacket, white tank top, and some skinnies. Several pokéballs' lined her belt, which obviously meant she was some kind of Pokémon trainer.

"She was bitten by a Gible," Tasha shrugged.

"Aww, let me get you a bandage…" Mary sighed, disappearing into a closet.

"Told ya she was a mary-sue…" Kara muttered to the males sitting on the couch.

"She's hot!" Slate whispered excitedly.

"Dibs!" Noel whispered,

"She has a boyfriend" Kara pointed out. The guys groaned and began to mumble words. Mary returned with a cotton roll and tossed it to Tasha, who began to wrap up her friend's arm.

"So, who are you guys?" Mary asked, resuming cooking on her stove.

"I'm Slate,"

"Noel" the guys introduced, and she nodded.

"Are you guys trainers?"

"Yep" they chorused in response.

"Oh that's cool, I'm a breeder!" she chirped, "I'm also the person in charge of taking care of the shiny Pokémon, but I'm also a pretty decent trainer."

"Then let's battle!" Noel said, "Let's see how strong your "shinies" are!"

"Actually, I've always wanted to battle Kara," the eighteen year olds eyes lit up, "Let's see if you're fit to be in that contest tomorrow!"

"So you know I'm entering?" Kara gave her cousin a raised eyebrow look, _STALKER!_

"…Well, you should! Registration ends in two hours though, so we better eat!" her cousin replied.

"Uhh…okay…" she agreed to the battle and registration, not sure what she's gotten into.

* * *

After eating and listening to Slate and Noel's stories, Mary led the teens outside beyond the white picket fence where the Pokémon roamed and played. Several of the Pokémon were eating out of white bowls, provided by the Daycare assistants. "The owners are on vacation," Mary says as she leads them through the field, "We have plenty of Pokémon around from all over the region—it's amazing where we get all the food from…" they passed lakes full of Poliwags and mountains scattered with steel-types, and soon they got to the edge of the picket fence where there were oddly colored Pokémon hanging around. "Some shiny Pokémon like to keep to themselves, while others like to blend with the other Pokémon. We probably only have about 12 stored here, not including mine."

"…I think I'm in heaven," Slate gasped, his eyes wide at all the Pokémon, "They're so beautiful! I…I have the urge to lick that shiny Teddiursa's paw!" The others began to inch away from him…

"You can study the Pokémon all you want!" Mary chirped, "They're all very friendly…well, except for that herd of Tauros, they like to tend to themselves."

"Why are we battling here?" Kara asked, looking around. The only thing around was grass. Grass, grass, and more grass. All this green was enough to drive someone wild if they stared at it long enough.

"There aren't much Pokémon around," Mary shrugged, "Plus, the Pokémon here get terrified when they see fights."

"That's what you get for babying them…" Kara muttered.

"I'll judge! You better win Kara!" Tasha grinned, standing in middle of where the battle was gonna take place. The girls began to spread out, while the guys just leaned on the picket fence to watch.

"So who do you think will win?" Slate asked, "I bet you the driver's seat in the cart if Mary wins."

"Uh huh, and if Kara wins, then you have to give me your shades for tomorrow." Noel said, smirking smugly.

"But they said it'll be the hottest day tomorrow!" Slate protested.

"Exactly," Noel replied, "So do we have a bet?"

"Fine," Slate agreed, and the two shook hands on it.

"Really? A bet?" Tasha gave them looks, feeling as though she's known them as long as her best friend has, "Okay, this is a full battle between Mary and Kara! No time limit, no substitutions! Go!"

Mary wordlessly tossed a pokéball up, and out popped a Pokémon after a white flash of light. Emerging from the light was an Azurill—a green one at that. It chirped its name cutely and got the eye-rolls from several male spectators.

"Huh, it's _shiny_, so unpredictable…" Kara muttered, pulling a pokéball out from wherever she keeps them,

"She's my baby!" Mary cooed, "She hatched just last month!"

"…Congrats? Shina, Time in!" Kara released her Luxio onto the field, who glared at her opponent, although the oddly colored Azurill just continued to bounce on its tail obliviously. "Use Spark!" after a second to charge her fur, Shina raced towards the small green mouse—

"Body Slam!" Mary commanded, Azurill sprang into the air from her tail and landed with force on Shina, whose electricity went out as she was pounded into the ground.

Kara sighed, "Déjà vu anyone? How does a baby know those moves?"

"She was bred, that's how!" Mary laughed, "Alright Azurill, another Body Slam, and make it hurt!"

_Technically, a month old Azurill is stronger than a 2-week Luxio…wait, when was Shina hatched? Ow, this strategy is hurting my head. Maybe I should leave that to Slate. _"Use Bite on that tail!" Kara said, unsure what she was risking. Shina hopped into the air, her teeth bared with dark energy coating it, and sunk her teeth into Azurill's huge ball-tail-thing, but the two bodies slammed into the ground the second she caught onto the tail. Dust rose from the impact, and two seconds later, it was pretty obvious that Shina was knocked out. "You've got to be kidding me…" Kara muttered, face palming.

"Ha! Take that!" Mary cheered, and her cousin glared at her and returned her fallen Luxio, then sent out a Buneary. "Aww, it's cute!"

"Bun Buneary!" Lun screeched, and since no one had a translator on them anymore, they just took her angry expression as "I'm not cute!".

"Azurill, use Bubble!" Azurill blew out pretty bubbles from its mouth,

"Use Frustration!" Lun glided through the bubbles and lashed out on the teeny mouse, and apparently that was enough to knock it out. It fell off its tail and fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Hmm, good job," Mary said as she returned her Azurill, "Try this!" she tossed up another ball, and a golden colored dog with a beret and a red-paint dipped tail hopped out. A shiny Smeargle.

"…What is _that_?" Kara spat, and regretted every figuring out how to turn off her pokedex. Too bad she dropped the batteries in the lake last chapter.

"That's Smeargle, the Painter Pokémon!" Slate explained from the sidelines, "They mark their territory by using their tails like a paintbrush."

"Do they use the bathroom with that paintbrush too?" Noel asked out of nowhere. He got no answers.

"Use Frustration!" Kara commanded, Lun hopped off with fire in her eyes,

"Dodge and use Sketch!" Mary yelled quickly, Smeargle quickly hopped into the air to dodge the Buneary, then swiped its tail in the air, then landed on her with the exact same move. Lun ended up being tossed to the other side of the field.

"(How does it feel to have your own move tossed at you?)" Smeargle laughed,

Lun grunted and hopped back on her feet, "(You're dead, whatever you are! What are you, a Pokémon or fusion of a dog and a French painter?)"

"Lun, enough talk and use Quick Attack!" Kara said, getting almost impatient. She didn't like the fact that her cousin was beating her, it's just another quality of her annoying mary-sue personality. Lun crashed into Smeargle in a snap, but she was slapped with its tail and ended up getting paint across her face. She cried out in horror and tried to wipe it off—

"Frustration!" Mary yelled, Smeargle attacked, and Lun was tossed across the field again. The rabbit began to growl, the red paint still on her face. Her trainer, who she was laying exhaustedly next to, brought out a mirror and showed her face.

Hell.

The Buneary pulled on her ears in frustration, and loud out such a ferocious yell that it scared almost everyone on the field.

"Uhh…is it okay?" Tasha asked, feeling as though her Gible was chewing on her arm again. It probably was without her looking.

"Hey Slate, wanna go check out the Pokémon? Yeah let's go…" Noel said, and the two guys were able to escape from the field from where the Buneary was gonna bring hell. Even Smeargle was getting a bit scared, and when he was suddenly hit by a rabid rolling ball of rabbit, everyone assumed he was unable to battle. Mary returned it quickly, and Lun calmly hopped back over to her trainer and accepted the quick shower from a portable water bottle. Two seconds later, she was back to her bubbly self.

"Hmm, I think I might follow the guys…" Tasha said, inching away, but stopped when she saw her friend's glare,

"Move and ME UNLEASHES ZA RABBIT!" Kara exclaimed in cave-man accent, which would probably have freaked out Slate and Noel if they were there. Since Tasha and Mary knew her for a long time, they knew her fruit-loop strings were pulled whenever she wasn't talking straight. They were kind of stuck in the battle now..

"Metagross, finish this battle!" Mary released her starter Pokémon, a huge metal contraption with an X where its mouth should be. Well, it has a mouth, just with an X over it. Unlike her other Pokémon, Metagross was regularly colored.

"…Are you serious? You have…whatever that is?" Kara gasped, shaking in her shorts and tank top. The metal monster seemed indestructible.

"Give up?" Mary smirked.

"Uh, no," Kara defended lamely, "Lun, use Frustration!" the Buneary hopped off, but just as she got to the face of the metal contraption—

"Hammer Arm." With one simple smack from Metagross' stub of an arm, the Buneary was out. In a depression in the ground. But those will fill back up eventually, right?

_Damn, not even a scratch on that stupid gloss, _Kara thought as she returned her Buneary, "Lale, Time in!" she released her Lotad to the middle of the battlefield, who looked up obliviously to the floating metal hunk with arms and legs.

"Meteor Mash!" Mary says, Metagross prepares its glittery fist—

"Mist! Quick!" Kara cried out frantically, Lale blew out white fog that immediately obscured the battlefield. Metagross stopped its attack and looked around, trying to spot the tiny bug. "Now use Nature Power!" the Lotad began generating power—

"Psychic." Mary deadpanned. Metagross' eyes flashed, and the fog was blown away by a string-y force. Lale was clearly visible now.

_Holy crap we're dead! _"Hurry up and do it!" Kara cried out. Lale fired the attack—it came out as Seed Bomb. The seeds erupted on Metagross' coat, but afterwards it still looked fine as if the attack was merely a flick from someone's finger. Annoying and hardly painful.

"Meteor Mash." One painful rock-hard jab later, and the Lotad was found in a crater, overturned and knocked out. Kara shook her head in defeat and returned Lale, then tossed her last pokéball up, releasing her Prinplup named Emporor, or Emp for short. "Aww cute, was it your starter?" Mary cooed.

"Yeah, and don't call him cute!" Kara protested, "Show her Emp! Bubblebeam!"

"We'll pity you," Mary laughed, "Go ahead and take that attack Metagross."

_Shouldn't have done that, _Kara smirked, _let's try and break your perfect win streak. _Emp span and released the bullet bubbles, and to everyone's surprise, the bubbles pushed Metagross back almost a few inches. The metal contraption shook off the attack and let out a roar, which the Prinplup replied with the middle finger/wing. (:O ooh that's baad bad prinplup baaad)

"Metal Claw!" Mary commanded,

"Emp, you use Metal Claw too, the way you did it in the contests!" Kara replied, the two Pokémon began to look like blue spinning metal tops. When they collided, they ended up pushing each other backwards. This kept going on for another eighteen or so seconds before the last collision threw them backwards more than usual, unraveling them from their metal body parts.

"Hammer Arm!" Mary yelled, Metagross charged towards the penguin with its glowing fist behind him—

"Dodge and use Bubblebeam!" Emp jumped into the air just as the punch came, then bombarded the metal hunk with bubbles from the top. This obviously did more damage then last time, and Metagross had to knock him out of the sky with its arm to stop him.

"Finish this! Use Metal Claw!" Mary said, and it was too late for the Prinplup to dodge. He got the metal stub/arm in the gut, then collapsed on the ground with an open beak.

"…Prinplup is unable to battle! The Metagross wins!" Tasha announced. Mary squealed and hugged her Metagross, who was scratched up from all the fighting.

"…Just great, the mary-sue triumphs _again_." Kara groaned, falling to the ground to sit, "I should've seen this coming, it's totally Pokémon story cliché…"

"Don't feel bad Kara, you did great!" Mary cheered from a few feet away.

"Whatever…" her cousin muttered. It was silent for almost a second before they could feel the ground moving under them, like a mob with heavy feet were running their way…

"Slate did it!" Noel cried out accusingly as he and Slate began running towards them with a pack of angry Tauros chasing them. Mary sighed and put a hand to her forehead,

"Interesting friends you have there…"

Kara just smiled sheepishly.

* * *

**This chapter makes me sad, it was more Mary-centric then the other girl. Anyway, the contest chapter is next, so fingerscrossed that something good happens! -crosses fingers that ache from schoolwork-**


	26. Baton Pass to Default

**HOLA! Sorry for the late update, I had...school issues. And I think I'm about to lose my phone (ticked off mom O_O)**

**OH! And for an apology for late updating, please except this present...which isn't done yet! I promise to give it to you guys at the next update :P which WILL be next week! No flaking for me! Noow because I kno its been so long since you've been here, I will remind you who is in this story/chapter...**

_Noel_ a dark red headed 15-year old who has matured only a tiny bit. He has masculine-issues and usually has to go to the bathroom.  
_Kara _a dark purple headed 14-year old who is dramatic, food-obsessed, and is deemed crazy by friends and family.  
_Slate _a brown/grey headed 14-year old who is random and smart, yet no one believes the latter.  
_Tasha _a black haired (with whie bangs) 14-year old, known as one of Kara's besties. The two are the closest and she has a known hostile record...  
_Mary _a lavender haired 18-year old who is portrayed as the perfect person. She is slowly losing her marysueness.

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 21  
Baton Pass to Default

* * *

"_DAY 16,_

"_Hola Ravenn! How's the Sevii Islands? I hear they have like THOUSANDS there. So which one are you on? _

"_So recap on yesterday…MET WITH TASHA. Check. She was acting oddly quiet…SEE WHAT MY MARY-SUE OF A COUSIN DOES TO PEOPLE? Had a battle with said mary-sue. Check. Oh, and I lost. Oh well. I think the person who fought the hardest was Lunybuny…but she REALLY needs new moves. Maybe she can learn some new ones? I just need to fix my pokédex. I found some batteries at my cousin's place, I'm sure she won't mind…_

"_We're at the Laundromat! It's about time we washed our clothes. I bought a new costume for my contest tonight at eight (don't forget to watch it!) and it smelled like…well, tires. Noel and Slate made Kado run over it with the cart. Jerks." _

Kara rushed into the Laundromat with her Buneary panting, panic written on all over her face—

"What are you so outta breath for?" Slate inquired as his friend stood frozen at the doorframe to the Laundromat. He and Noel were currently stuffing their dirty clothes into washing machines. Noel wasn't looking and accidentally stuffed his Turtwig into the machine, but quickly retrieved him after the muffling caught his ears. Next thing that popped into his mind was to stick his Turtwig into the dryers.

"Did you touch my suitcase?" Kara said quickly as she tried to regain her breath. Running from the 'Center to the Laundromat, for her, was a _huge_ effort.

"…No! Why would you think that?" Noel scoffed, but when she stomped up to him and stared him down, he was attacked by her Buneary, and the bra he had stashed behind his back went up into the air. Kara glared at him and snatched the article of clothing, then took his hat, walked out the door, threw it on the ground, and pounded it into the dirt.

"Perv." She said shortly as she returned to the building, ignoring the gape from Noel and the snicker from Slate. She was tempted to send his sunglasses into the same grave as Noel's hat. After loading her clothes into the washing machines, she waved goodbye to the guys and headed out the door,

"Where ya going?" Noel inquired, "If you're going to see Mary, then can you take Rex? I meant to leave him in the Daycare with the rest of the Pokémon, but he _followed _me here!"

"No, I'm not," She grumbled in response, "Lun and I are going to go train for the contest tonight. I'm not even sure if we're ready…after that night…" she frowned and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"You'll do great, just have fun!" Slate encouraged, "And Noel, I'd be happy to take Rex to Mary."

"…Why do I have a feeling that you have some sick attraction to my cousin?" Kara said, giving her casual raised eyebrow look.

"I do not!" Slate protested, his face almost red, "I just admire her knowledge for shiny Pokémon! Hey, can I borrow your pokédex? The batteries in mine just disappeared…"

"Uh nope I have no idea what happened to it bye!" She replied all in one breath, and zipped out of the Laundromat before he could reply.

* * *

"Hmm, I see, and what are you trying to do here?" Tasha, Kara's childhood friend from back in Sunyshore, inquired. The two were currently a few miles away from town in the forest, sitting on the ground with a black pokédex beeping in front of them. Their Pokémon, an obsessed-with-her-looks Buneary and man-eating Gible were playing somewhere in the background.

"We're teaching Lun a new move," Kara explained, staring her at encyclopedia-like device, "She's crazy strong…there's gotta be some new moves that she's able to learn at this point."

"Then why are we just staring at your pokédex?"

She ignored her friend and finally picked up her device, then took a moment to scan her rabbit. Many options popped up like level, hp, and other stats, but she ignored all those and went through the list of moves her Buneary could learn. "Let's see…Lun can learn Jump Kick and Baton Pass."

"Jump Kick!" Tasha suggested.

"No no, this is a contest; Jump Kick isn't going to do any good…" Kara trailed off, scenes of the two moves going on in her head.

"What's your appeal even about?" Tasha spat, irritated that she can't help in any way.

"It's a magic act, but that's as much as I want to tell you without spilling anything," Kara replied, "Hmm, Baton Pass makes the Pokémon using it take place of another Pokémon."

"I got it! You can use Baton Pass to switch the Pokémon in your magic act to your Buneary! Yep yep, that was all my idea, where's my applause," Tasha said, beaming at the pokédex screen.

"Okay, I'll give you the credit for that," Kara laughed, "The question is getting her to do that kind of teleportation act…luckily I brought one of our props with me!" she pulled a top hat out of her bag—it was like what a magician would wear.

"Good! Now who to switch places with…" Tasha trailed off. Kara shifted her eyes to her friend, who gasped, "No way! What if she gets stuck inside me during the teleportation? I don't like raw buneary!"

"I was kidding! …Yeah! I was kidding!" Kara laughed nervously, "Besides, I think it only works with Pokémon. Can you get your Gible to stay still?"

"Huh? I dunno, but I'll try. Chomp-Chomp, get over here!" Tasha called.

"You too Lun!" Kara called after her. The two small Pokémon quickly returned to their owners with excited expressions. The eggplant-haired trainer went through her pokédex again, reading through the instructions. "Alright…Chomp-Chomp, you stay still while…stop looking at my arm like that! Tasha!" she whined, looking over to her friend,

"Sorry! Maybe you should start wearing shirts with sleeves!"

"…Never mind. Just keep that thing distant from me…" She muttered, and continued to read off her screen, "Alright Lun, the instructions say to brace yourself, imagine yourself in Chomp-Chomp's spot, then POOF! You're there. Simple. Can you do it?"

The Buneary nodded enthusiastically and hopped off to be at a distance from Tasha's Gible. She braced herself, ears and all, and POOF! She was gone. Tasha and Kara gasped, then looked around to find where the little rabbit poofed off to. They couldn't find her, so they turned to the other possible place she might be—Gible.

"Huh…where'd she go?" Kara inquired, picking up Chomp-Chomp and looking around the spot, but she was nowhere.

"Gib!" the land shark barked, and something rolled out of its large jaw. A rolled up ball of fur, which turned out to be Lunybuny.

"Oh God that's gross…" Tasha muttered, turning away from the gruesome saliva on the Buneary's coat.

"Are you okay?" Kara gasped, checking her Pokémon for any cuts or bruises, but luckily found none. Lun sighed and hid into her wet fur, while Chomp-Chomp began to fish loss fur out of his teeth. "What went wrong?"

"You can't expect her to master it in a snap," Tasha said, taking a second look at her friend's pokedex, "Let's try again. And this time, imagine _Chomp-Chomp _in your spot too."

"_What_? That's it?" Kara said, slipping her pokédex out of her friend's hand, "Oh, no wonder I didn't understand it properly, the instructions are in pictures!"

"…You know they only put it there for visual understanding?"

"You're point?"

Tasha just stared at her friend, "Sometimes I wonder why I'm second smartest…"

"Let's just get on with the moves, the contest starts in a few hours and we haven't gotten anywhere!" Kara snapped, "Lun, use Baton Pass! The _right _way!"

* * *

"Oh jeez, I think we're lost…" Slate muttered as he and Noel's Turtwig entered the Daycare lobby. Rex sighed at what he was forced to walk around with and led the way to the back door that led to the field, while Slate cluelessly followed. "I swear I've seen this all in a dream before…hey! We're outside! Thanks Rex." Rex didn't answer and continued to trudge across the area in search for his pals, and the human followed in hopes of not getting loss. Eventually they found where his, Noel, and Kara's Pokémon were at, and coincidentally found Mary, Kara's cousin, with them.

"Morning Slate!" Mary chirped, "Here to collect your Pokémon?"

"Oh, I shouldn't, they're having a really good time." Slate replied, petting his Pidgeot, who had flapped over to him.

"Normally we wouldn't hold six Pokémon at once with us from one trainer, so it's our little secret." She smiled at him, putting her finger to her lip in a shushing motion.

"Don't worry about it, we'll all collect our Pokémon before we leave." He reassured, petting his Pidgeot.

"That's good to know. You wouldn't believe how many Pokémon here have been abandoned," she sighed, "It's like the trainers expect us to keep them until they're powerhouses."

"But that usually happens right?" he asked, "The Pokémon here usually get stronger by the days they stay right?"

"Sure they do…but if you're gone for so long without a word, the Pokémon don't even try anymore…this isn't the Charsific valley hun." She smiled at him, and he unconsciously turned to his Charizard, who was competing with Noel's Houndoom to see who had the strongest flame. "So what are you really here for?"

"I hope I'm not imposing by saying this, cause I REALLY hate imposing but uh…" he stammered, looking down to the ground while his face turned several shades of red, "I was hoping you could help me learn more about Pokémon, since you're a breeder and all…"

"I'd love to!" she sang, "Just one question—if Tasha's out with Kara helping her with her contest appeal, then what's your red-headed friend doing?"

"Oh Noel? He's doing all of our laundry," he smirked at remembering, "It's his apology for having me run over by Tauros yesterday."

* * *

"Damn my friends…" Noel muttered as he paced around the Laundromat, looking at the dryers in use every now and then, "Damn my friends all to hell…"

"Talking about me hm?"

The red head almost jumped out of his clothes as his purple-haired friend popped out of nowhere with her forever optimistic grin. He recognized her friend outside with her carnivorous Gible, and decided against to comment on it.

"So is my costume done drying yet?" she asked as she looked into the several dryers in use, trying to locate her contest clothes bundled up with several other clothes.

"Does it look like it's done?" he snapped sarcastically, "And I'm hungry, so stay here and fold the clothes!"

"Nope!" she answered, "I still have to practice for the contest! I'm trying to teach Lun how to do Baton Pass, but she keeps ending up in an odd formation of Gible's body!"

"But I've been here for 4 hours!" He whined,

"It doesn't take 4 hours to wash clothes…" she muttered,

"Well I did it one at a time!"

"Not my problem! See ya!" she quickly ran out of the building, leaving him with the clothes. Luckily for her, she wasn't there to hear the curses thrown at her.

* * *

"You're rubbing too hard"

"Sorry"

Mary's Metagross roared in pain as Slate once again burned its shiny coat by rubbing it with a cloth to hard and fast. Mary groaned and snatched the cloth from his fingers, then took her Windex, sprayed the metal contraption, and demonstrated how to properly clean the Pokémon.

"All the Pokémon have been fed…wanna go in for dinner?" she asked, stuffing her wiping cloth in her jeans pocket.

"…What? Yes, yes, oh my god YES! ...I mean sure." Slate answered a little bit weirdly, and followed her inside the daycare building, his Pidgeot following. After several minutes of navigating through the building, they finally made it back to Mary's dorm.

"Go on and make yourselves at home you two; dinner should be ready in a few." Mary chirped, although it seemed like an exaggeration since food usually doesn't cook that quickly. Astronaut food maybe?

"Put that remote down Lenze," Slate says as he argues over the remote with his Pidgeot, but ended up falling over the couch as the bird maneuvered his head away from his trainer. After several clicks with his beak, Lenze finally came to a channel that had various ribbons on the screen with countdown clocks under it.

"Oh hey, it's the contest channel!" Mary said, recognizing the channel, "I check there every now and then to see if Kara was entered into the contest."

"Hn, her contest is going to be on in a few seconds," Slate said, and snatched the remote from his Pokémon before it changed the channel again. The countdown clock under the Solaceon ribbon ticked to 0 and the ribbon blew up to the whole TV screen. "Shush Lenze, it's on!" he snapped to his Pokémon, and excitedly jumped up and down in his seat as the ribbon faded away to the actual contest.

"_Hello contest fans everywhere!_" says the MC on the TV, "_Welcome to Solaceon Town, the town free of worry! That's right people in the crowd and others who're watching this broadcast on your TV set, you can prop your feet up and relax while watching tonight's contest, cause we're drunk! …I mean happy! Anyway, you know the judges, so let's start the contest with our first contestant, Kara Ryka of Sunyshore City!"_

"Aww, Kara's first!" Mary cooed as she plopped a plate of canned soup in front of Slate. She placed a bowl of Pokémon pellets in front of his Pidgeot as well, making all them ready to eat on the couch like the lazy asses they were.

"Wow, did you cook this all yourself?" Slate asked with a hint of impressed in his voice.

"Uhh…no? I just heated it out of a can" she answered. He frowned, disappointed probably. She was already losing her mary-sue status to him. The three turned to the TV as their friend appeared on the screen.

"Oh God, what is she wearing…" Slate muttered, unable to take his eyes off the screen. The plum haired female slowly walked onto stage, her head dipped to the ground with her fingers on the rim of her large top hat. She had a black walking stick in her hand, and she leaned on it as the hat covered her face.

"Looks like she's going for a Buneary theme…" Mary replied. Her cousin was wearing a brown sleeveless-turtleneck leotard with Buneary-like cotton around the legs and neck, Buneary-like fingerless gloves, black tights, and ballet shoes. On screen she tipped off her hat, showing the camera and audience that it was empty. She placed her top hat onto the ground from the brim, then took her walking-stick and tapped it.

"_Baton Pass!" _the Kara on screen yelled, and a white mist came from the bottom of the hat before a brown rabbit emerged from it, tossing the hat aside. The crowd began to gasp at how the Pokémon got there. Magic, I KNEW IT!

"How did she…" Mary started,

"Don't ask, just watch…" Slate sweatdropped, and they returned to the screen.

Kara pulled out a deck of cards out of her hat of mysteries, then tossed it up into the air. Her Buneary hopped up into the air, but then—

Lightning, bubbles, and fire struck onto stage from the sky, destroying the flying cards and throwing the Buneary off its feet, landing on the floor in a heap.

"What the hell…" Slate looked up to Mary in confusion, who shrugged and turned back to the screen.

* * *

Lightning, bubbles, and fire struck onto stage from the sky, destroying the flying cards and throwing the Lun off her feet, landing on the floor in a heap. Kara gasped, trying to figure out what happened. Her _ordinary _Buneary couldn't have done that, right? RIGHT? Was she crazy? She stared nervously at the audience, then looked down at her Pokémon, who had fainted when getting caught up in those attacks. She turned to the judges with a shy face,

"…What the hell was that?" Ella Contesta spat.

"Not remarkable at _all_." Jarret Sukizo scoffed.

"I'm not really sure what just happened," Nurse Joy said, "But I'm pretty sure that wasn't your Pokémon's moves right there. Using more than one Pokémon in this contest is against the rules. You are _disqualified_." And X's appeared on the judges tables. The dark purple-haired teen bit her lip and recalled her Pokémon into its pokéball, then rushed off stage in hopes that no one saw her red face.

* * *

**:O do we know what just happened? Uh, no...anyway review :P**

**Oh, and if anyone forgot**

_Current Pokemon_

_Noel_

Blastoise/Male/Barren  
Houndoom/Male/Hound  
Alakazam/Male/Kado  
Gengar/Female/Genji  
_Shiny _Dodrio/Male/Dude _PC  
_Turtwig/Male/Rex

_Kara_

Prinplup/Male/Emporor (Emp)  
Luxio/Female/Shina  
Lotad/Female/Lale  
Buneary/Female/Lunybuny (Lun)


	27. Pokéathlete's United

**Disclaimer: The only world I own is the one ruled by evil rabbits :O**

**Anyways, as promised...HERE IS THE PRESENT PICTURE! It has the cast in their glory, and unfortunately the paper was not big enough to hold all of them, so some people are small. Remove the spaces: http: / kiara411 . deviantart . com / # / d2zbwpo**

**Ppl who are returning this chapter:**

_Guy 1: Pink hair, 16, kinda fruity. _

_Guy 2: Guy 1's twin._

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 22  
Pokéathlete's United

* * *

"_Hey Ravenn…its Day 17 and I'm a…depressed. Did you see my EPIC FAIL on TV last night? I just want to crawl into a Buneary hole with a carton of mint ice cream and never come back. I just…just…WHAT HAPPENED! Those moves…those…THINGS…It wasn't me! I don't know who it was! I almost threw myself into a crying fit because of what happened…I mean…Lale and Lun worked all afternoon on getting Baton Pass right! All that work for nothing…_

"_If you were wondering, that Don guy (the one who won the Hearthome Contest) won last night's contest too. I couldn't even bring myself to talk to the guy…I was too depressed. Why Ravenn, why?_

"_Someone's on the other side of the door. Good thing I locked it shut!"_

"Kara, open this door now!" said a familiar voice on the other side of the door.

"No!" Kara replied stubbornly, and stood in front of the door just in case her friend was able to unlock the door somehow.

"I have a Gible and I'm not afraid to use it!" Tasha threatened, her Gible readily at her side.

"Well use it! It's useless!" grumbled Kara.

"Fine! Chomp-Chomp, Iron Head on that door!" Tasha yelled. Kara wasn't sure if she was calling bluff or not, so she immediately went for a bed as the door came tumbling down. Tasha and her Gible stood on the other side of the door, and just as Kara was tempted to escape by jumping out the window, her friend's Pokémon latched its teeth onto her bare leg.

_Dammit why did I have to wear shorts today? _"Okay, you've got me. Now what?" she said, crossing her arms. Her friend smirked and exited the room, the other two following.

* * *

"No."

"You want the chocolate bar don't you?"

"You're evil"

"Heh thanks!" Tasha beamed at her friend, then tossed a bar of candy into the air, "Chomp-Chomp, hurry don't let her get the chocolate!" she shrieked, and her dragon jumped into the air and caught the candy in his teeth, then began to run as Kara chased him.

"You're evil!" She shouted as she maneuvered around the bushes that Chomp-Chomp had ran around.

"You said that already!" Tasha replied with a laugh. "Come on, don't tell me a Gible can outrun you!"

"He's a beast—" Kara crashed into another body, falling backwards and onto the ground. Tasha's Gible stopped running to watch the scene with interest, dropping the candy bar. Kara looked up and gasped, her eyes bugging out, finding a _Vespiquen _glaring her down… "BUG! BUG! AHH!" she screamed, and scrambled up and began to run away, making the large bee queen tilt her head in confusion. "TASHA KILL IT!" she wailed, hiding behind her bestie.

"…Uhm…Chomp-Chomp? Can you…umm…?" Tasha stumbled on words as she stared at the Vespiquen, backing up as slowly as she could. The bug's eyes narrowed.

"It's going to shoot its heat lasers at us" Kara whispered to her friend, who once again doubted her intelligence. The bug took one step closer and that was enough for Tasha to yell—

"SANDSTORM!" Chomp-Chomp span, instantly releasing sand and dirt into the air, creating a—wait for it—sandstorm.

"USE GUST!" yelled a male voice somewhere around the two girls, and Kara blinked, _Wait, isn't that…? _Before she could think anymore, Vespiquen's bee wings blew away the sandstorm, clearing the…clearing. Someone was standing next to the giant queen bee now; it was…

"…Kalib?" Kara stared at the pink haired acquaintance, her site going back and forth from Vespiquen to Kalib for a while now. The two walked towards them, but she still hid behind Tasha, because the closer Vespiquen got, the clearer she could see its gruesome face.

"Haven't seen you in a while Kara, and you're not even wearing the jacket…" he said, giving her a faux mad look.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry! It's just too hot to wear it! DON'T HIT ME!" she squealed, bringing her hands to her face.

"No! If he does then he'll get a taste of Gible-polished-knuckles!" Tasha yelled, "Who is this guy anyway?"

"Geez, no need to get hostile…" Kalib trailed off, "For the record, I haven't hit anyone in like…21 minutes?"

"Eeep" Kara said, and hid further behind Tasha. Apparently all the time she spent with the guy wasn't enough to put trust in.

"The guy I hit was Shawn, and that's only because he asked if we could have a sanitizer break! I mean really! We're in the forest; you're _going _to get the bottom of your shoes dirty!" He argued, mostly with himself.

"I'm still confused…who's this guy Kara?" Tasha asked.

"He's this guy I met in Floaroma…" she answered, "The one with the fruity brother?"

"OH" her friend finally remembered.

"When did you get the…_bug_?" Kara asked him, still looking at the Pokémon in disgust.

"I caught her a few days ago actually," he admitted, "We were battling and she evolved _right _in the middle of it. I would've been dead if my Magnezone hadn't fired a Mirror Shot at it."

"So you have three powerhouses now?"

"Scared?" he smirked. She cowered into her friend, who glared at the guy.

"Wh…what are you doing here in Solaceon?" She finally got the nerve to ask. The bug was making her nervous.

"There's a Pokéathlon in town, Shawn wants to enter it for a medal to the Pokélympics." He answered shortly, "I'm alright with my brother pursuing this career, as long as he's not a _coordinator_…"

"HEY!" she protested, his Vespiquen stepped forward on instinct and she yelped and picked up Chomp-Chomp and used him as a sacrifice.

"Pokéathlon?" Tasha repeated, the word perking her ears.

"It's a competition, like Contests or Gyms. It's like a Breeder thing," Kalib shrugged, "There are these five categories that each have a medal for if you win—medals are given to the top 3—and if you collect all five medals before the Pokélympics, then you get to enter it."

"Where have I heard this before…" Kara trailed off, "Oh yeah, my cousin Mary enters those! She has all five medals though, that marysue…"

"Is she hot?"

"Why do people keep asking that!" she shrieked in response.

"So wait, there's a Pokéathlon going on _today_?" Tasha clarified.

"Yeah, at like 2 o'clock. Shawn's signing up at this very second" he replied.

"Kara, guess what?"

"You're Gible spews mint ice cream!"

"Um…no…" Tasha rolled her eyes at her friend who went "aww" in depression, "I'M ENTERING THE POKÉATHLON!"

"Awesome!" Kara squealed, "Let's go get you signed up then!" She took a step forward, then stopped midway. "Umm…Kalib, where's the stadium at?"

* * *

The trio and their Pokémon soon arrived at the Solaceon Pokéathlon stadium minutes later, which looked almost like the Contest Hall. In fact, it _was _the contest hall! So before they even entered the building, Kara blurted out,

"Isn't this the contest hall?"

"Yeah," Kalib answered shortly, "But with just a click of a button, they transform the whole stage into the stadium track!"

"It must be magic" she gasped in response, her eyes wide as though she was a 3-year old.

"Sure, now before we enter, can you put the leather jacket on? We have to advertise our gang!"

"…No" she answered in response, and he groaned and entered the building, the other two following behind. The lobby was mostly the same, although the receptionist was _exactly_ the same, only in sportier clothes. Kalib's pink haired brother finished signing a paper and gave it to the receptionist, who chirped a goodbye to him. Then he turned around—

"Oh hey Kalib! And Kara, you're here too! YAY! Are you staying for the Pokéathlon?" he asked, batting his eyelashes pleadingly.

"Sure…just stop doing that…eye thing" she replied whilst nodding, and he jumped up in the air and "hooray!"ed.

"So do I sign up over there?" Tasha asked, pointing to the receptionist desk. The twins nodded, and Kara pushed her friend over to the desk, who had tried gluing her feet to the floor.

"Welcome to the Pokéathlon Stadium! Are you here to sign up?" the perky receptionist asked. Tasha nodded slowly, and Kara took the liberty to shake her friend's head faster with her hands. "Alright! Just fill this out!" A paper was pushed towards her, and Tasha took the paper and a pen and began to fill out the form.

"…Wait, you have to have _three _Pokémon? I only have one…" She muttered, looking down at the paper.

"You aren't allowed to enter unless you have 3." The receptionist stated in a robot-like tone, which creeped out the girls very much.

"Damn, I guess I'll have to wait till I catch more then…" Tasha muttered, dropping her pen.

"N-no! Don't give up!" Kara protested, picking the pen back up quickly.

"But I have no choice!" Tasha sighed, "Where will I get two other Pokémon?"

"Uhh…you can borrow mine and Noel's! And if he protests, just throw Chomp-Chomp at him. I'm sure he'll say yes while there are teeth in his leg." Kara suggested hopefully.

"Well…as long as the rules allow it." Tasha said, turning to the receptionist.

"Borrowing Pokémon is allowed, but not in the end-of-the-year region-wide Pokélympics." The receptionist said.

"That's good, I'm sure I'll have my full set of Pokémon by then," Tasha answered proudly, "So let's see…since I'm entering the Power course, I guess I'll use…Chomp-Chomp, your Buneary, and Noel's Blastoise!"

"Good choice!" Kara chirped, "Lun is a maniac with power…and Noel's Blastoise is a powerhouse like the rest of the team, I'm sure you'll do great!"

"Oh, it's not about the power," Tasha said snottily as she passed the sheet to the receptionist, "It depends on the performance _of _power. All we need to do is whip up some aprijuice and we'll be set!"

* * *

Minutes later the two girls departed from the twins and returned to the Daycare, where Slate and Noel were at. The receptionist said they were in the field studying Pokémon, so the two decided to meet with them later and found their way into the kitchen. Unfortunately, Kara's cousin, Mary, was there as well.

"Ugh! Why are you _everywhere_!" Kara shouted in frustration, although it was a bit dramatic in this sense.

"…Did she take her medications?" Mary asked airily.

"Nope" Tasha replied,

"I DON'T TAKE MEDICATIONS!" Kara yelled in the background, "…So where do you keep the aprijuice?"

"Mood swings, yeah we have some meds for that…they're usually for the Tauros though…" Mary mused, "And Kara, we don't have aprijuice here. In fact, you can't buy it anywhere in the world…except maybe at a PokéMart or Pokéathlon stadiums."

"Usually I would comment on that but I've decided to be calm" Kara replied, and took a seat at a table in the corner, taking this time to stare at the two females in front of her who were rummaging through the cabinets above the counters.

"Aprijuice is like poffin Kara; you have to make it. Aprijuice are made of apricorns, remember?" Tasha said, taking out a strange mega-cup out of the cupboards. It was made of glass with a strange white top.

"Oh, I remember, I took that Breeders class in 8th grade remember?" Kara replied with a smug smile.

"Oh, I remember, and you got a C…"

"B _PLUS_!" she shrieked in response, "And that's only because the teacher was racist! Man I hate Johtonians…"

"Right…so Mary, do we have any apricorns left?" Tasha asked, turning to the lavender haired woman.

"You're lucky, we just got a shipment of red apricorns from Johto this morning…" Mary replied, pulling an apple crate out of one of the bottom cupboards under the sink, which was a horrible place to put them by the way.

"IT'S FROM THE EVIL JOHTO TEACHER!" Kara shrieked, and took one of the red apricorns from the box, and chucked it out the window.

"OW!"

"…There was someone on the other side of that window?" she muttered, and stood on the tip of her toes to see her victim. It was Slate. "Oh. It's just _you_."

"Uh, yeah it was just me, and why are you pelting me with apricorns? These things are like rocks!" He protested.

"You should've ducked." She shrugged, and returned to her seat at the table.

"Do you need anything Slate?" Mary asked, washing the apricorns and tossing them over to Tasha on the other side of the kitchen with the Apriblender.

"Yeah, Noel provoked the Tauros into attacking the Ursarings, and now we're facing war." He replied coolly.

"Ugh, I'll be right there" she said, dried off her hands, and quickly ran out of the kitchen with a pokéball in her hand.

"WOO! I thought she'd never leave." Kara let out a sigh of relief, then joined her friend over to the Apriblender. "So when's this thing gonna be done with the juice?"

"Hmm…ten minutes, maybe half an hour." Tasha shrugged, "Can I borrow your Buneary now so we can practice?"

"Sure! Might as well get Noel's Blastoise too," Kara replied, "We can use the Tauros excuse if he flakes on us!"

* * *

Finally it was time for the Pokéathlon to start, and Tasha's team was juiced up and excited to win. Kara had already dragged Noel and Slate into the stands, so everything was up and ready to go. Conveniently, she took the seat right next to Kalib and his Vespiquen; it seemed like she was a phone on vibrate whenever next to the queen bug. She didn't even care that Noel and Slate were fighting over popcorn on the row above her, or the fact that they spilled bits of popcorn in her hair; she just focused on the stadium where her friend and the Pokémon were lined up.

"You know what we should do Shina? Let's cheer! Go Tasha! Go Go Go! Go Lunybuny! Kick some a—umm—JUST FIGHT!" Kara cheered, her Luxio next to her, flicking its tail every now and then.

"You're a terrible cheerleader" Kalib said bluntly.

"Yeah. No wonder I despise Kayla…" she muttered.

"Speaking of Kayla…have you umm…heard from Cody lately?"

"Why?" she smirked, "Still care about your friend hmm?"

"Oh shut up and sit." He growled, and pulled her into her seat so she would stop cheering. She pouted and stayed quiet as more popcorn rained from the sky, as well as Noel and Slate's popcorn bucket.

"Guys, calm down, I can hear you from here!" Tasha shouted from the ground, which was almost the loudest voice in the stadium. The others looked elsewhere and pretended they didn't know her…she glared at them and looked around to evaluate the competition, and recognized the pink haired guy from earlier today. Behind him was a Skiploom whose eyes were glued to a daisy growing out of the ground, a Magnezone who just floated in the air with a clueless expression, and an Exploud who was flexing his muscles for Kara's Buneary. Unfortunately, she was too obsessed with her own reflection to notice.

_Competition looks rough…_Tasha thought to herself as she looked at her own team. Kara's Buneary was staring at her reflection in Noel's Blastoise's newly waxed shell, while the Blastoise was attempting to shake her Gible off its left bazooka.

Finally, the games began.

"GOOD AFTERNOON ALL! I AM MC HAMMER AND WE ARE BROADCASTING LIVE FROM SOLACEON TOWN, FOR TODAYS POKÉATHLON! WHY I AM TALKING IN CAPS, I DUNNO! So let's start the competition! We've already done our Skill Course, which of course was won by an NPC…so now we're moving on to Power! Power contestants please line up over there! Yeah! Right under that piano! Alright, first game everyone…wait for it…BLOCK SMASH!"

"This guy is way too hype…" Kara muttered, rubbing the inside of her ear with her finger.

"Try living with him…" Kalib muttered in response.

"Wait—the MC?" she gave him a wide-eyed look.

"Huh? No I was talking about Shawn!" he said quickly, and she rolled her eyes,

"Right…"

"Don't think I'm like my brother woman, cause I'm not!" he protested.

And so the games continued, just as all the cement blocks were piled up by the hundreds. Tasha lined up Kara's Buneary to go first.

"Alright contestants, the first team to eliminate all their blocks first, WINS! And it's cheating to use Pokémon moves, so I don't want to see any! And GO!"

And so the Pokémon were off. Lun became a crushing machine, destroying blocks two at a time, and after about ten seconds she was switched with Chomp-Chomp, who chewed through the blocks. After twenty more seconds of destruction, there was a loud whistle that stopped everyone in the arena.

"And someone's done! The winner is…this young woman right here!" MC Hammer raised Tasha's hand, where all the bricks were gone, only leaving crumbs. Behind her was a dust-covered rabbit, burping land shark, and sweating turtle thing. The crowd went wild and the next game was prepared. "And now for the next game…RING DROP! Although the actual game would be Circle Push, I'm sorry to say that a certain person destroyed our strobe lights…YEAH IM POINTIN' AT YOU NAPOLEON DYNAMITE"

As the roof was pulled over the stadium and the wrestling box was brung to the center of the stadium, Kara squeezed through the crowd and hurried down to the bottom floor. She rushed over to Tasha, who was cleaning up Lun and Chomp-Chomp with Barren's (the Blastoise) water moves.

"Tasha, I have an idea!" she shrieked as she arrived to her friend. Her Buneary happily jumped on her to hug her—but what she really wanted was the buneary-scarf on her shoulders.

"Sure, what's your idea?" Tasha inquired, taking a seat on the floor next to Barren and Chomp-Chomp.

"Let Lun go first! If the rules of the game are to push the Pokémon out of the ring, then she's the best choice! Right Lun?" Kara turned to her rabbit, who nodded enthusiastically. "Maybe she should drink some more aprijuice…"

"Uhh…sure! I have a bottle with me," Tasha tossed a water bottle full of red liquid to Kara's Buneary, who chugged it down till there was no more. Then she hopped to the floor, and kept hopping, at a very fast pace.

"…I think you added to much sugar…" Kara muttered, staring at her Buneary.

"It's not my fault your Pokémon get high on juice easily…" Tasha trailed off, and a whistle went off in the stadium, "Oh, it's time to go! Get in there rabbit!" she caught the hopping rabbit and tossed her into to the ring, where about ten other Pokémon, including Shawn/Kalib's Exploud, were going. As another whistle was blown to start the game, Kara's Buneary went wild (more than it was now) and bounced on all the small Pokémon, shooting them out of the ring. The scoreboard numbers were going nuts.

"Woo! Go Lun!" Kara cheered.

"Yeah! Go bunny!" someone else cheered from beside her. She raised an eyebrow at Kalib's brother Shawn, who was carrying…pom-poms.

"Shouldn't you be cheering for your _own _team?" she inquired.

"…Huh? Oh yeah…" he looked up, finding to see that his Exploud was soaring out of the ring and collapsing right outside the rope. He quickly recalled the Pokémon and tossed up another, releasing his brother's Magnezone. Seconds later Lun was tossed out of the ring by another Pokémon, and was returned and replaced by Noel's Blastoise.

After about another twenty seconds of Pokémon Rumble, the whistle blew and the game ended. Everyone turned to the scoreboard, where their points were tallied and showed who was in the lead. Tasha was in fifth, with Shawn right behind her in sixth.

"This is the last game Tasha, you _have _to place!" Kara shrieked, "I'm gonna go back to my seat! YOU BETTER WIN! Hey Shawn can I borrow a pom-pom?"

"Rock the house girlfriend!" Shawn squealed girlishly, and tossed her the glittery object. She decided not to comment and quickly left to her seat.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, THE NEXT GAME IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! IT'S GOAL ROLL! THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE SIMPLE; GET THE BALL IN SOMEONE ELSES NET! We're going to take the top 8 contestants and make 8 goals, JUST FOR YOU! Alright! Top 8's, grab a goal and round up your Pokémon! LET'S GO!"

Tasha hurried the Pokémon over to a goal, then began to fix them up. She took another red bottle out of her bag and tossed it to the Pokémon, who chugged it down greedily. It wasn't a problem for Chomp-Chomp though; he was fine with just eating what was left of the bottle.

"Alright guys, are we ready to kick ass?"

The Pokémon cheered in agreement.

"Great! Now all we have to do is get a lot of goals, so Chomp-Chomp, you defend the goal, Barren, you chase the ball, and Lun, you send it into the goal! Got it?"

The Pokémon nodded, and hurriedly got to the middle of the field where the other 29 Pokémon were at. A whistle blew and a white soccer ball fell from the sky—

"WOO! GO BARREN! YOU GO DUDE!" Noel cheered, standing in his seat, and snatched one of Kara's pom-poms, "Go Barren you're the turtle, you've been the best since you were a Squirtle! WOO!"

"…He's a terrible cheerleader too." Kalib muttered to Kara.

"I've noticed" she replied, and pretended that she didn't know him…

"Go Barren! Go! Go! Go Barren!" Slate joined in with cheering with Noel, which of course received looks from people sat next to them. Right now on the field Barren and Lun had gotten two points, while Chomp-Chomp knocked off about three soccer balls with his fin.

"Wind one!" the MC yelled, and gusts of winds pushed the Pokémon off their feet. Lun found herself flying in the air, and Barren grabbed her foot so she wouldn't go anywhere, and used her body to bat a flying soccer ball into a goal. This got them another point, but it also got them an angry rabbit who began to hit the Blastoise in the bazookas.

Tasha's Gible noticed that there was a ball in the middle of the field and left his post for it, but just as he got to it, Kalib's Exploud stomped right in front of him. Behind the purple beast was a Magnezone trying to prevent a Skiploom from flying off into the sky, but was failing miserably. Chomp-Chomp narrowed his eyes at his large opponent and licked his teeth, then went right for Exploud's leg. The Pokémon roared in pain and began stomping, land shark in tow.

Lun took this as an opening and jumped over several other Pokémon to the soccer ball, and the wind finally let up, but then it blew in her direction! It was neither good nor bad, and she took her lucky rabbit's foot and knocked the ball into a goal.

Unfortunately, it was THEIR goal.

The whistle blew and the scoreboard tallied up the votes, and the whole stadium was quiet as they stared at the numbers.

"She placed in 4th." Kara sighed, dropping her head from her shoulders. The score was 325, only ten points away from 3rd place. She frowned and looked to her friend on the field, the memories of losing the past two contests returning to her mind. She got up and exited the stands, opposite of the stage. Noel traded looks with Slate and shrugged, and hurried down the steps to the stadium to congratulate the 4th place winners.

"Hey!" Noel said as he rounded the team, "You guys did great! Thanks for being my TV."

"Uhh…your welcome?" Tasha said, "Where's Kara?"

"Not sure" Slate shrugged, "Maybe she's going to go see her cousin."

"That's probably the last thing she'd do…" Tasha laughed, "And ya know, even though I didn't win, I still got the consolation prize!"

"Which is…?" Noel asked, patting his Blastoise,

"A crate of red apricorns!"

* * *

**For some reason this is my favorite chapter :3 review...**

**And thanks to CaramellDansenXLove and Teddiursa97 for reviewing last chap :P**


	28. A Mess of Casualties Part 1 of 2

**Hehe, the week went by so slow. I'm feeling bored. Maybe this chapter will liven the week up? Probably not**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon to pokemon y OCs to OCs. **

Reminders:

_Girl 1: Very snippy and rude for a 12 year old, also a coordinator. Kalib is probably the reason why she lost the Floaroma Contest to Kara._

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 23  
A Mess of Casualties Part 1/2

* * *

In this story we follow Lexi Schiffer as she ventures towards Solaceon Town. The miniature radio that was attached to her belt loop confirmed that she not only missed a Contest in that town, but a Pokéathlon as well. Her Snover looked up to her curiously as they trudged through the route to the town, probably only a half-hour away.

"There's always other contests," she says to her Pokémon as she ties up her multicolored hair in a ponytail whilst wiping the sweat off her neck, "We might not have…transportation, like those other snot-nosed rich kids, but at least we get to see the scenery longer than them." Just as she said that, they crossed a strange structure in the middle of the road. It looked like a mound that was built from adobe bricks, missing one little piece.

"(I'll never understand public art)" Frigid, her Snover, said from beside her.

"It's not art, it's a real monument…" she said, stepping closer.

"(And how do _you _know that?)"

"School" she shrugged, "It's the Hallowed Tower!"

"(So do we just…stare at it?)" Frigid inquired, staring at the stone structure.

"Oh shush Frigid, you're going to scare the tower away." She snapped. She stepped closer to see it better, but just one touch made it _crumble_. She and Frigid's breath hitched in their throats, both secretly wishing that that _didn't_ just happen.

"(Hooooly crap we're dead…)" Frigid hissed as the atmosphere became eerily scary…

"Ditto…" Lexi agreed, just as a purple fog devoured them both.

* * *

"_DAY 18, STOP YELLING AT ME RAVENN! Okay, so I left the Pokéathlon to get myself some mint ice cream, why is it so wrong? AND NO, MINT ICE CREAM IS NOT EVIL! _

"_Anyway, Noel's been pushing me earlier to get ready to leave Solaceon, but I keep telling him that I want to stay. And now he's really mad about it. I just want to relax! Veilstone can wait! Kalib and Shawn left an hour ago, although Kalib had to be dragged out by his brother. It's so weird how they're opposites._

"_Oh, and do you think Tasha would come on "The Journey" with me? I hate the fact that we have two guys to one girl. Or 1 half's, because I still think Noel has his "masculine" problems…"_

Kara stepped out of the Pokémon center, her starter Pokémon at her side. "…Where _is_ everyone? I swear I was the last one to wake up this morning…" she muttered, have that "puking" sensation. Although she was with her Pokémon, she only felt at home when Noel was around, prodding her to leave the town. What if he left without her? The two rounded the back of the 'center, and the two let out their sighs of relief. The multipurpose golf cart was still there, chained to a bike rack.

"(Relieved to see the carts still here?)" Emp questioned as he followed his trainer to the back of the cart, where she pulled up her suitcase.

"I'm only relieved to see that my Famous Amos™ cookies are still here!" she cried out, ripping open the top of the bag, "Alright, let's head over to the Daycare. I'm pretty sure the guy's only reason to be there is to gawk at my cousin."

"(Ya know, they're smart guys, you need to give them more credit")

"I'll give them credit when they quit getting lost in the forest even though we have a _PokéGear_." She replied, and locked her suitcase before heading towards the Daycare straight across the road, her Prinplup on her heels. Unfortunately, her curiosity made her stop in the middle of the road when purple fog began to seep into her sandals. "Umm…am I crazy or am I seeing purple fog?"

"(Hmm…yes you're crazy.)"

"So you don't see the fog?"

"(Oh, I see it; I'm just confirming that you're crazy.)"

She glared at her Pokémon and turned to the fog which was coming from the south part of town, and beyond that she couldn't see anything.

"Hmm…should we go see Mary or OH GOD WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING COMING OUT OF THE FOG"

A figure emerged from the purple fog, it was a blonde/multicolored haired twelve-year old with a miffed Snover stuck to her neck. Lexi looked up from the fog, glaring at the fourteen year old through her fog-filled glasses.

"You gotta a little something…" Kara trailed off, pointing at her eyes,

"I know," Lexi hissed in response, "I just came back from—ugh, never mind." She trudged towards the Pokémon center,

"Umm…are you alright?" Kara asked hesitantly to her acquaintance, "You look sorta…out of it."

"Don't talk to me." Lexi snapped.

_Wow, twelve and already PMSing _Kara mused as she headed towards the Daycare. She and her Pokémon froze as they heard a body collapse on the ground. They slowly turned around, although Kara froze halfway. Her Pokémon looked up to her curiously,

"Please don't tell me there's a dead body behind us…"

"(I wouldn't say she's dead…)"

"Oh no! What do I do? Do I help her? Do I get some help? Do I walk away and pretend I didn't see anything? Oh the possibilities!" she cried out helplessly. Her Pokémon rolled his eyes and pushed her into the Daycare door, then went over to Lexi's unconscious body in the middle of the road and sat there. No one took account to the purple fog consuming the town.

Kara quickly ran past the same male receptionist from when she first entered the town three days ago, but screeched to a halt and ran back to the counter. "Where's Mary and Tasha?" she rasped. The receptionist pointed with a pen out that door where the fields were. She glared at him and hurried out the door, only to crash right into her cousin.

"Ow! Dammit Kara…" Mary groaned, getting up.

"Sorry sorry! It's just that there's someone unconscious in the middle of the road!" Kara said, although her cousin was unfazed.

Her cousin but a hand on her shoulder, "Kara, I know you're crazy, and sometimes we see things…"

"He was a real angel and I know it!" she cried in a high-pitched voice, "And there really _is _a person unconscious on the road!"

Mary sighed, "It's the Christmas party all over again…"

"Movemovemove!" said someone from behind them. The two purple-haired girls blocking the door turned to the person, who happened to be Slate wearing his coolio-aviator sunglasses. "I saw my friend on the lying in the middle of the road with a Prinplup beside her! SO MOVE!" But he didn't have time for them to step aside and just squeezed through their bodies, then rushed out the door, entering the purple fog that had obscured the whole town by now.

"Huh, so you were telling the truth." Mary said, making a 'doubted' face.

"Yep! Don't just stand there! Enter the weird purple fog!" Kara said, running to the door,

"Wait! Kara, you shouldn't go out there, the gas might be toxic!"

"So? All the people outside are fine, and if I die, I'll finally be able to talk to that angel dude again!" she retorted before dramatically slipping outside.

Mary stared at the door where her cousin had just been. "Well. That's one way to see death."

* * *

"AH! Lexi my love!" Slate cried out as he finally found Lexi and Emporor in the deep purple fog.

"Since when was she your _love_?" Kara spat, following him to the body.

"…I say stuff, don't expect me to mean them" He shrugged, and looked over Lexi. "Well, she's breathing." He reached for her arm, but her bright blue eyes snapped open out of nowhere.

"Don't. Touch me." She snarled, and pulled herself off the ground, swaying to the side as if she was still half asleep. Eventually she collapsed again, but he had caught her that time. Kara found Lexi's Snover asleep in his trainer's hoodie-hood, and carefully extracted him from it.

"What should we do with them?" She inquired, looking to Slate for advice.

"'Center." He stated, and slowly dragged the short girl towards the Center, "Can you get a pokéball out of my pocket?" he beckoned with his head to his jacket pocket, and she reached in and pulled out one of them and released the Pokémon from within. It was Lenze, the Pidgeot. "Umm, wow, I was actually hoping you'd get my Charizard…but whatever, um Lenze, can you clear this fog?"

Two swipes of a wing later and the fog was lifted, uncovering the Daycare, Center, and several neighborhoods. The exits to the town were still covered in purple fog though. The teens quickly dragged Lexi and her Snover to the Center, where Nurse Joy took the Pokémon, and told them to put Lexi in a room. Slate placed her onto a bed and asked Kara to toss him a blanket, to which she threw it at his face.

"Umm, ouch?" he said, lifting his eyebrows at her.

"Sorry, Lexi's crabbiness must've rubbed off" Kara shrugged, taking a seat at one of the chairs. "Where's Noel?"

"He…" Slate scratched his head, trying to recollect his memories, "Come to think of it, I have no idea where Noel is. He wasn't even at the Daycare with me this morning…"

"Strange…" she muttered, and reached for her PokéGear, but before she could dial, she heard a familiar voice down the hall saying…

"KARA! SLATE! KARA! SLATE!"

"In here man" Slate said, sticking his head out the hallway. Seconds later Noel arrived in the room out of breath, the tip of his sock-hat hitting his face. He swatted the fabric away,

"Did you guys see the mess of stuff outside?"he asked in a voice that sounded like he just ran a marathon.

"Oh no, we just assumed the sun gave off purple rays of sunlight" Kara deadpanned sarcastically.

"…Anyway, I think I know what happened! Me and Hound (the Houndoom) were investigating just outside the town, and we found that the Hallow Tower _collapsed_!"

"That weird looking volcano thing?" she inquired.

"Should we do something?" Slate asked, "I don't want to go anywhere till Lexi wakes up…"

"I'll stay here, you two have your adventure," Kara said, waving them off while enjoying her bag of cookies.

"Thanks you rock!" Noel said, and dragged Slate out the room.

Just as they left her PokéGear went off and she quickly dug through her bag to find it, and found it wedged between one of her hoodie's and a quickly forgotten notebook with a page full of log writings. She flipped it open and found her childhood friend, Tasha, on the other end.

"Hey Tasha!" she chirped.

"Don't 'hey Tasha' me!" Tasha snapped, making her flinch, "Get to the Daycare! Some strange periwinkle haired woman snuck onto the property and provoked all the Pokémon! We _need _help!"

"Alright alright, I'm on my way!" Kara said, and stuffed her device back into her bag, then looked back at Lexi. "I'll be right back Lexi, I just need to take care of something!"

_Periwinkle hair huh? Sounds familiar…man; fainting girls, purple fogs, and pandemonium…what the HELL is going on?_

* * *

Noel and Slate, with their respective pokémon, exited town to the forest route. Their journey to the Hallow Tower involved several casualties—one being that Slate fell down a muddy slope while Noel walked around it. Unfortunately he ran into a trainer who wanted to battle, which was quickly solved after one flamethrower from his Houndoom. Then, after another thirty minutes of walking around and into pit traps, they finally made it to the river side of the forest.

"Hmm...Water...I think we passed it" Slate said, his eyes trailing the water.

"No, we're just really close! Now tell me again why we didn't bring the Golf Cart to quicken this search party?" Noel asked, looking around the area.

"(Because you're a pansy and didn't want to get the tires dirty)" Hound the Houndoom replied.

"Who asked you?" Noel spat childishly, "Alright, I've surveyed the area like 1 and a half times, where is the Hallow Tower?"

"I dunno! All there is around here are fallen old grey bricks!" Slate whined, pointing to the pile behind him. Noel stared at the bricks then said,

"You're right, well, let's keep going!"

The two guys left for the route again, their pokémon staying behind. Hound sighed and turned to Lenze the Pidgeot;

"(Looks like we'll have to build it ourselves. Got any ideas?)"

"(Yeah...we need to evolve with hands!)" Lenze replied, attempting to pick up one of the bricks with his beak. This didn't end well.

"(Ooh, I got an even better idea, stay here)" Hound said, and dashed over to his trainer, who didn't get very far. Noel assumed that he was there the whole time and did nothing, and just-so-happened to miss when the black dog snatched a pokéball off his belt. Hound rushed back over to Lenze and dropped the ball onto the ground. "(Alright Kado, get out, now!)" He barked, poking the shiny object with his paw.

"(Can he get out on his own?)" Lenze wondered.

"(Of course he can! He always sneaks out at midnight and steals all of Kara's food)"

"(That would explain why she hasn't exploded yet)" the bird commented. The two continued to stare at the pokéball, which did nothing like the inanimate object it was. "(Did you get the right pokéball?)"

"(...Damn, I guess not.)" Hound muttered, and took the pokéball with his teeth, and attempted to pry it open with his claws. Ten seconds later and it finally opened, a white energy flying to the side and forming into—not Kado the Alakazam—but Genji the Gengar.

"(What the—where's Noel? Oh great, now I'm stuck with you idiots.)" She muttered, collapsing onto the ground to sit.

"(Ugh, you're such a girl. I despise the day you were ever captured)" Hound scoffed.

"(Jeez Hound, why don't you tell me how you _really _feel?)" She spat.

"(Umm...guys? Can we get back to the matter at hand?)" Lenze asked, feeling left out and awkward. This wouldn't have happened if he had just followed his trainer like the voice inside of him was saying.

"(Whatever)" the two pokémon muttered, facing the opposite to each other childishly.

After several minutes of stacking bricks together in a sloppy manner, the Hollow Tower was restored. Unfortunately, the purple fog that blew from the top of it continued to blow. If Lenze was Slate, Hound was Noel, and Genji was the feminine side of Noel, then they all would've fled. Unfortunately they couldn't because their trainers returned from the pathway a few seconds later, staring at all of them.

"When did..." Noel started,

"Who cares, we found the Hollow Tower!" Slate cheered. Noel paid no mind to that and happily claimed his Gengar's pokéball, which was inching towards the river only a few steps away. Slate and his large bird examined the brick structure, staring at the cup-sized hole in the middle of it. "...Is it supposed to have a hole?"

"Hmm..." Noel took out his crimson colored Pokédex out of his pocket, then began pressing buttons while pointing it at the brick tower, "Oh, yea there's a piece missing." he showed the picture of the completed tower to his friend and the pokémon, who began to look around for the missing piece.

"You're not going to find it" said a low, sickly voice a few yards away. The guys turned to the figure in the purple fog, Noel screaming like a girl just because it was creepy. It was Lexi, her hoodie over her as if she was shivering cold in the July heat.

"Lexi!" Slate gasped, "What are you doing here? You're sick!"

"I'm" cough, "not!" she protested, hurrying over to them, "All of this is _my _fault idiot!"

"It's _your_ fault and you're calling _him_ the idiot?" Noel scoffed, crossing his arms. She glared at him and rummaged through her pockets, taking out a grey cup-like rock with a Wobbufet face on it.

"This is the missing piece." she said, holding it up to their faces.

"That's an odd keystone!" Slate cried out, "Where did you...?"

"I found it while crossing Mt. Coronet..." she trailed off, "I kind of tripped over it."

"Smooth" Noel commented, but was quickly glared at by the holder of the stone.

"Last night I found this tower and it crumbled, and a strange pokémon popped out and attacked my Snover and I. If we put the stone back...maybe its spirit will cease the fog?"

"Sounds good," Slate nodded, "Go ahead and put it in."

"But what if it crumbles again?" she asked hesitantly, trying to stay as far from the creepy structure as possible.

"We've got nothing to lose!" Noel said snatching the stone, "Save us you piece of crap!" he stuffed it into the hole, and there was a _click_. The world seemed to pause and there was a slow breathing—then the tower shot a pink beam into the sky.

"We're screwed" Lexi squeaked.

* * *

**Ha, this chapter is weird~ooh ooh, let's try something! If we can get 4+ reviews for this chapter, then I'll update the next chapter Monday! YAY! The wait is almost over!**

**Oh, and thanks to Teddiursa97 and CaramelldansenXLove for reviewing last chap! :D**

Preview of Next Chapter because of this short one:

_"Don't worry guys, I'll fix this!" Mary said confidently._

_"No you won't!" Kara yelled, half in pain and half in desperation, "You can't fix everything Mary! You may be strong, but sometimes you take in more than your perfectness can take!"_


	29. A Mess of Casualties Part 2 of 2

**Whoops! Almost forgot to post the chapter. Blame homework. Thanks to the 5 reviewers who motivated this next chapter! :D That would be A reviewer (who i think should have a less generic name o.o), CaramelldansenXLove (everytime I type this name I'm afraid to mispell it), iflip4dolphins (the owner of Lexi :o), cjml1 (another hard-to-spell name for me o.o), and bubbles (...-pop- hehe)! Thanks again!**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 23  
A Mess of Casualties Part 2/2

* * *

The walk to the Daycare from the center was relatively short for Kara, even in this fog. Her and her Prinplup hopped the fence, taking no mind to using the easy way by using the lobby. Purple fog was scattered everywhere, making it almost impossible to figure out where to go.

"Alright...only one way through here...Shina, time to stretch!" she released her Luxio into the fog, who blinked upon reentry to the real world, unlike the one regenerated in her pokéball.

"(What the...)" the black mini lion looked around, then began to shiver, "(I'm scared!)"

"Shina, you don't glow when you're frightened anymore because you're not an itty-bitty Shinx, so grow a tail and get over it!" Kara barked. This made everyone enter an awkward silence, one that almost made the Luxio tear up—which she just started to do.

"(Now look what you did!)" Emp accused, patting his co-teammates head.

"I-but-she-Shina! Okay, I'm sorry! I just get frustrated when I see my hair color everywhere! Please don't cry!" She stammered, even dropping to the floor to get to eye level with her pokémon.

"(...*sniff* Okay...)"

"That's the spirit!" she beamed, "Alright! Use those Luxio powers of yours and search for Tasha and Mary!" Shina complied and closed her gold eyes, then they snapped open to red eyes that saw through the fog as if it was never there.

"(They're straight ahead, fighting some strange periwinkle haired lady! Oh! It's the same from Eterna City!)" The Luxio recalled, faintly remembering the battle that got her to evolve into the form she was today.

"Oh jeez, not that creep again..." Kara groaned, "I'm sure Mary can handle it..."

Emp and Shina groaned, then took their respective claw and wing and dragged their protesting trainer into the fog, faint voices becoming clearer the closer they got. Seconds later they arrived at the scene which was conveniently clear, considering all the fog had made a ring around their battle area.

Around were Mary and her Metagross fighting the periwinkle haired woman and her tortured Togekiss, while Tasha was behind all the madness, protecting all the tiny pokémon with her arms, although she was pretty scratched up too, and it wasn't from her carnivorous Gible.

"Aww, if it isn't that purple little brat from Eterna," growled the periwinkle haired woman. The G on her grey cape seemed familiar to Kara for some reason.

"Don't speak to my cousin like that!" Mary roared angrily, "Metagross use Meteor Mash!"

"Up into the air and use Ancient Power!" the other woman yelled, "Why don't you all get out of my way! Or how about this—why don't you get out of Team Galactic's ass!"

"Why are you so obsessed with them?" Mary yelled, "They're evil!"

"Oh please, _I'm _the evil of it all!" the woman cried, getting Kara and Tasha and all the pokémon to gasp, "I am Neptune, daughter of Cyrus and co-captain of Team Galactic! This time you will _not _get in our way! Grunts, capture these miscreants!" hundreds of men in strange space uniforms emerged from the purple fog, chaining up the humans and pokémon, disabling them from any movement.

"(I'm scared!)" Shina whispered as a muzzle was placed on her mouth.

"What else is new." Kara deadpanned, "Get off me!" she struggled out of the henchman's grip, but that did nothing but get her arm twisted behind her back. She cried out in pain, making her Luxio growl protectively. A grunt kicked the dark lion in the side, making her trainer yell, "Don't do that!"

"Shut it" the grunt said, forcing her to the ground.

"Don't touch her!" Tasha growled, although she was facing the same abuse. She continued to struggle, trying to stop the men from taking her Gible away in a giant cage.

"Don't worry guys, I'll fix this!" Mary said confidently.

"No you won't!" Kara yelled, half in pain and half in desperation, "You can't fix _everything _Mary! You may be strong, but sometimes you take in more than your perfectness can take!"

"Quiet! NOW!" Neptune yelled, slapping the dark-purple haired teen across the face. She yelped, the stinging in her cheek making her bite her lip. Her Luxio and Prinplup were going mad, but couldn't do a thing because they were stuck in an elaborate cage. Then—

Lightning, bubbles, and fire struck onto ground from the sky, making Kara and Neptune and all the grunts in the surrounding area tumble backwards. Black smoke mixed with the purple, and three creatures emerged from it; Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. Cue growling.

"Damn, those things are back..." Neptune muttered, backing away from the three mad creatures, "Just like a few nights ago on the Contest Hall roof..."

"Wait—that was _you_? I was disqualified because of that!" Kara screeched, choosing to glare at the legendary creatures, who did nothing but growl at Team Galactic.

An in a flash, it was total mayhem.

The legendary pokémon had attacked, using their powers to scatter most of the Galactic Grunts, who had released the humans and pokémon. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to scare away Neptune. But they were already gone—they had left as quick as they had come, and now it was the girls against Neptune.

"(You're dead for what you did to my trainer,)" Shina hissed, her muzzle dropping to the ground. She began inching closer to Neptune and her Togekiss, who were slowly backing up, "(I'm tired of being afraid of things that aren't worth a damn)" The Luxio closed her eyes, summoning something...she threw back her head, then _roared_. Winds of 200 mph blew the periwinkle haired woman and Togekiss into a lake, which was enough to scare them into flying away. All was calm...

"Wow Shina, we've been trying to get you to master that move since episode 13..." Kara gasped in amazement.

* * *

_Back with Noel and the others..._

"Creepy light...plot movement much?" Noel scoffed, "Let's head back guys"

"Kind of hard with the ghost bush in the way..." Slate whispered, afraid the ghostly figure in the shape of a shrub in front of them would attack. Lexi hid behind the two guys, perfectly fine with sacrificing them if something went wrong.

"Hold on, let me scan it" Noel whispered back, slipping his pokédex out of his pocket. After a quick little scan, words came up on the screen with an image of the same pokémon that could've been its clone. "It's a...Spiritomb. 108 spirits live in it."

"They must be packed like sardines in there..." Slate commented.

"Maybe it's never-ending storage like pokéballs." Noel suggested.

"Will you two just _get rid of it_!" Lexi hissed, pushing them forward. The Spiritomb took this as an attack and shot purple rings at them, but luckily Noel's Gengar was quick and made it collide with a Shadow Ball instead.

"Damn that was close!" Noel shrieked, "What does this _thing _know? Oh, Shadow Sneak, Confuse Ray, Dark Pulse, and Ominous Wind." he recited, looking down at his pokédex. "OH CRAP!" another Dark Pulse was aimed at his head, but his Gengar saved him at the last second.

"Lenze is useless again ghost types..." Slate trailed off, his fingers lingering on the pokéballs on his belt, "George, help us out!" he released his Charizard on the field, who Hound the Houndoom recognized as the 'flamethrower' competitor.

"Alright you two, blaze that bushes ass!" Noel cheered,

"What he said!" Slate agreed, "George, use Overheat!"

"And Hound use Flamethrower!" Noel commanded. The two fire pokémon released their respective moves, and the Spiritomb wailed as the attacks hit mercilessly. The black smoke cleared, but the ghost was still standing. "Damn it's unbreakable" Noel muttered, backing up slowly, making sure to block Lexi from any attacks. She wasn't sure whether to be grateful or pissed that he was in the way of the view. "Alright Hound, Faint Attack! Now!"

Hound disappeared from view and struck in a blink, making Spiritomb tumble. It rose back up and maniacally laughed, sending purple ghostly winds at them.

"It's Ominous Wind!" Slate said, "George use Flamethrower!" but the fire didn't go through, in fact, the whole attack was blown away by the wind and redirected right into Noel and Lexi. He hurriedly shielded her with his body, and she quickly pushed him away.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked,

"I'm trying to help you!" he said, his eyes shut because he was afraid that something on him was burning, "Is my HAIR on fire?"

"No it's your hat!" Slate said.

"HOLY—" he gasped, and hurriedly tossed his sock hat onto the ground and stomped the embers out. He let out a sigh of relief, although as soon as he was able to catch his breath, Spiritomb sank into the ground and began to chase him with Shadow Sneak. None of the pokémon were able to hit it, and soon Slate's Charizard was taken down after being taunted into the river.

"Don't just stand there, help us!" Slate wailed to Lexi, returning his Charizard into its pokéball.

"Don't tell me what to do!" She snapped. She took notice to how their numbers were slowly dropping—the only pokémon out were Slate's useless Pidgeot, who he was hiding behind, Noel's Gengar, who was trying its best to stop the Spiritomb from escaping, and his Houndoom, who was just sitting on the ground lazily with his tail wagging. She groaned and reached for a pokéball on her belt, then sent out her Misdreavus. "Ruby, use Psychic and lift Spiritomb into the air!"

The other ghost concentrated—then, the shadow of Spiritomb that was lost into the ground, was raised into the air.

"We've got the perfect shot!" Noel said, "Hound, use Faint Attack!" his Houndoom attacked with dark pounding energy, sending the poor bush ghost into the ground. Before Noel could decide what to do next, Lexi surprised all of them by chucking a pokéball at it.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he said loudly.

"Oh shut it and let me see if I caught it!" she snapped back, surprisingly getting him quiet. After a few seconds with no pokémon popping out, everyone assumed that it was caught. She picked it up, examined it, then shoved it into her pocket.

"...That's it? You were just going to catch it?" Slate spat, hardly noticing the purple fog beginning to clear up.

"Have a problem with it?" she sneered.

"Uh well no, I was just wondering why you didn't do it in the first place..."

She looked at the pokéball and let out the monster inside, making both Slate and Noel scream like little girls. She ignored their hysterics and walked up to the ghost bush, crouching down to its eye level. They had stared at each other for a while, and the guys stopped screaming enough to notice that attacks weren't flying yet.

"My name is Lexi," she said in a low voice. Spiritomb made a noise that sounded like it introduced itself as well. "I've given nicknames to all my pokémon...you met Ruby, the Misdreavus, and I have a Snover named Frigid at the pokémon center. I want to give you a name too...do you like the name Ghostlight?" the bush made a movement that looked like a shrug, so she took it as a yes. "Those two idiots back there are Noel and Slate."

"_HEY_!"

"I'm not like their friend Kara, who randomly catches pokémon and holds them captive as her own pokémon; I give them a choice." Spiritomb looked at its trainer in interest, unsure what she was going at. "I can understand if you don't want to be on my team."

"Technically you can't!" Slate piped from behind Noel and his Pidgeot, still convinced that the Spiritomb wasn't tamed.

"How about this..." she continued, glaring at Slate from the side, "You can run, now, if you don't want to be my pokémon. I'll crush it under my foot. But if you want to stay...and partake in the wonder adventures ahead of us, then roll the pokéball back at me." She placed the pokéball on the ground, then slowly walked backwards to the guys.

"What if it has a third option, like _attacking_?" Noel spat,

"I trust it," she whispered back, "Recall all of your pokémon, _now_." she ordered. The guys quickly complied, unsure who they were more afraid of, Spiritomb or her.

Spiritomb stared at them, then down at the pokéball. Slate began to mutter things, and was quickly jabbed in the stomach by Lexi so he would shut up. He plodded forward, slowly kicking the pokéball back at her.

"_Ha_. Told ya," she grinned, sticking her tongue at Slate.

"Just take your pokémon and go" he muttered. She returned her newly caught pokémon into its pokéball, then span back around to the guys,

"Fine, and before I go; tell _Kara_ to watch out in the Veilstone Contest." she replied with a smirk, then walked off to wherever, almost ruining the tense moment by sneezing.

* * *

After sharing their stories that night, the teens and young adults went off to sleep. Now we follow them to the next morning were the trio of travelers were finally leaving, and the golf cart and pokémon were revved up and ready to go. Everyone was packed around the vehicle, either helping or hanging out.

"_Wow _I can't believe you're leaving!" Tasha exclaimed while trying to pry her Gible off one of the tires, "It...It felt like old times honestly."

"It'll take a while to get used to being with all dudes all day," Kara sighed, "Unless...wait, maybe you can come!" she smiled eagerly at her bestie, who unfortunately hadn't shared the same expression. Her smile fell. "...No? Why not? Tasha _please _don't leave me with them! They have more episodes then I do!" The guys glared at her in response.

"Sorry Kara, but I just...I'm not prepared, and my parents would _not _approve of me running around the whole region. They put me in Solaceon for a reason, I can't just leave!" Tasha explained. Kara made a combination of huff and a sigh and stubbornly took her seat in the vehicle, refusing to take another look at her friend. This created awkwardness everywhere.

"So umm...we'll just go now." Noel said, climbing into his seat, "Slate, are you coming?" This meant to be a joke, but it became scarily serious when the brunette wouldn't move.

"Uhh..." Slate attempted to say something, and Mary gave him a slight push to make him speak faster.

"Slate, you're not..." Kara trailed off, unsure what she was actually saying either,

"I'm not coming..." He finished, which stunned the two in the golf cart, "I'm a...staying in Solaceon."

"But...why? I thought you needed a ride to Snowpoint" Noel said as if everything was fine, mostly because he was afraid of how he would really sound.

"I did...and look how far I've gotten! I'm only a few days away!" he slightly beamed, "Guys...it's...it's not you, it's me! I love it here in Solaceon, there's just so much to learn at the Daycare!"

"But...don't you need the Snowpoint badge?" Kara inquired, slowly realizing how much she was losing.

"I do, but the League is months away! I have plenty of time!"

"...Fine. If he wants to stay here, he can." Noel said, turning around to the wheel.

"But—" Kara started,

"Shut up and sit." he growled back.

_This guy is NOT Noel..._she thought, watching her friends get smaller as they gotten farther away. She crawled to the trunk where Kado the Alakazam was and waved goodbye to them, smiling when she got waves back,

"Bye guys! Can't wait to see you again soon!"

If only she could force herself to say how much she'd actually miss them.

* * *

**:O!**

**Well, not much to say from here, I'm just glad you guys are enjoying the story :D say so in a review if you want~**


	30. Down the Rainy Road

**Ya know, I tried to keep this chapter short, mostly cause its a filler, but no. Its the longest. Also, this chapter contains only Kara, Noel, and the Pokemon. Wow.**

**Thanks to sagemode12345 (Slate), iflip4dolphins (Lexi), Silver Don (Don), bubbles, and Teddiura97 for reviewing last chap! You guys make my day :D**

**Check out the Title Pic at; http: / kiara411 . deviantart . com / # / d3083cx (just remove the spaces)**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 24  
Down the Rainy Road

* * *

"_DAY 19,_

"_Hey Ravenn! You know, right now I would be texting to Tasha, but I just departed from her half an hour ago and it feels weird to just talk again. Maybe I'll talk to her tomorrow. I'm still kinda bummed that she declined my offer to join us on the journey, but somewhere in my (clichéd heart) I knew that she would never say yes. It's like I expected it. And then Slate, the guy who you were all flirting over, decided to stay in Solaceon too. It made me sad because now Noel's going to direct all his conversation to me._

"_We're at the Milktank Café! I'm gettin' some MINT ICE CREAM! It's not evil :]"_

After leaving the Golf Cart with one of their pokémon, the duo entered the infamous Milktank Café. It was a roomy place, about the size of a middle-class family room, with tables scattered around the place and the ordering counter in the top right corner.

"Better get something for lunch, I doubt we'll find anything on the Perpetually Rainy Route." Noel whispered to his plum haired friend as they got to the counters.

"But it's only 11!" she protested.

"Exactly! Just go get your damn roast beef," he laughed, pushing her to the counter. After a few minutes of ordering, they got their food and paid. They swiftly exited the restaurant, only to be challenged by a random passerby.

"Hey you! Girl holding the sandwich! I want to battle! Let's go!" the random man said. He looked like a generic Veteran from the pokémon games.

"Aww, can't I finish my sandwich first?" she whined, halfway into biting into her food.

"No! If you don't battle, I'll take it as forfeit, and you'll have to pay me!"

"...Fine" she agreed, dramatically pounding her sandwich back into its wrapper. After placing her food into her seat in the Golf Cart, the two found a nice little spot to battle just meters away from the Café. Noel decided to watch from the cart with his inexperienced turtle pokémon sitting beside him.

"Yes! This is the battle I've been waiting for!" the crazy veteran said.

"...uh...why?"

"Because! I have seen you on my daughter's TV and wish to dominate you like the pedophile I am!"

"...uh...okay..." Kara turned to Noel with a look, and he just shrugged in return. He has no control over the crazies they meet on the road. The man tossed up a pokéball, releasing a large orange weasel onto the field. Although these kind of pokémon are always around her house in Sunyshore, she took the liberty to waste the stolen batteries on her pokédex;

"_Floatzel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon and the evolved form of Buizel. Its flotation sac developed as an aid for chasing aquatic prey. Floatzel can also carry people on its back._" recited her 'dex.

"Shina, time in!" she released her Luxio onto the field, who just yesterday proved its strength. Who knows what she'll do today?

"Ahaha! The rookie mistake!" the veteran laughed, "Don't think you have the advantage!"

_Alright, then don't think that _you _will win. _"Shina, start with Bite!" the Luxio ran towards the Floatzel;

"Use Whirlpool!" the veteran said, and his pokémon created a huge whirling whirlpool out of thin air, then smashed it on Shina, who began to get tugged everywhere. "Now jump in there and use Crunch!"

"Use Spark!" Kara countered just as the Floatzel jumped into the water. Shina released electricity from her fur, zapping everything in the water, including the Floatzel who was shot out. The whirlpool collapsed and Shina was dropped from it, then quickly shook the water out of her fur like a dog. The Floatzel got back up, still looking healthy although it was just hit and thrown like a rag doll.

"Ha, very smart, but I expected it! I've seen that tactic millions of times before!" the annoying veteran laughed, "Floatzel, give them an Aqua Jet that'll get their jaws hurting!" the weasel lunged forward like a bullet, surrounded by water, going at such an alarming rate that the Luxio couldn't dodge.

"Don't let them get to you! Use Spark!" Kara said quickly, unfortunately the Floatzel was still too fast and Shina was struck and rolled uncontrollably on the dirt. Her eyes snapped open, and her teeth grinded against each other. Obviously she didn't like how this battle was going. She stood up, then her eyes flashes red and steam came out of her nose. Floatzel was unable to resist copying this movement, and was immediately hypnotized into confusion.

"That's _swagger_!" Noel exclaimed from the sidelines.

"Swagger?" Kara repeated, and pointed her pokédex at her pokémon, "Night Slash, Spark, Roar, Swagger...Oh no! What happened to _Bite_?"

"She must've forgotten it to learn Swagger!" he said, then turned to his Turtwig, "Rex, don't you _ever_ have unprotected se...oops! Wrong lesson. Never mind."

"(...okay)" his pokémon just stared at him and blinked, his naïve little mind just wondering.

"How could you forget Bite! It's a great move!" she whined to her pokémon. The Luxio glared playfully at her trainer, then turned back to her opponent, who was just smacking himself silly and running around in circles.

"This is not fair! I have no tactic for this!" the veteran said.

"...Then yay! Alright Shina, use Night Slash!" one claw swipe later and Floatzel was knocked off his feet. This of course changed nothing, and the weasel continued to have what looked like a seizure.

"Floatzel! Give them an Ice Fang!" the veteran obviously wasn't going to give up, but by the looks of his Floatzel just freezing his face into an ice cube, giving up seemed like a good option.

"Use Spark!" Kara said, and Shina lunged, swiping her claws with electricity bursting through them. Floatzel led out a large roar of pain, then collapsed onto the ground, smoke and the sound of frying bacon emanating from him.

"_Luxio's Spark from their fingernails can kill things in an instant._" recited Kara's pokédex. She shushed it by stuffing it into her bag, hoping the veteran didn't hear the 'murdering' aspect of it all.

"I will not be defeated!" the veteran yelled clichély, "Rapidash, show her what I mean!" he released a horse that had a mane of fire from a pokéball.

"Hmm. The pony express. I guess I don't need a pokédex for this," she shrugged, "Use Night Slash!"

"Stop them with Fire Blast!" the veteran yelled. One huge-fire-consuming-attack later and Shina was left burnt and collapsed on the floor. Even tiny little embers were still alive in her fur.

"Well darn..." Kara sighed, and returned her pokémon into its ball. "Lale, Time in!" she released her Lotad onto the field, who was mostly gentle in nature. She smiled happily at her opponent, although it was hard to see with that huge hat in the way.

"Rapidash, squish that bug with Stomp!" the crazy veteran commanded.

_Uh oh, don't want guts everywhere! _Kara feared, "Quick Lale, use Mist to obscure the area! Wow look at my big vocabulary words..." the Lotad spewed white mist around the area, making it impossible to see. The veterans Rapidash stopped in the middle of the fog to find its opponent. Then...

_HISS_

A bright white light filled the fog, and the veteran smirked,

"Fire spin on that spot!"

His Rapidash neighed and fired a ring of flames at the light—

"Lale hurry and dodge!" Kara cried out. The flames immediately swept the fog aside, but its path hit nothing. Then something green rolled out of the fog—

"Lale evolved into a Lombre!" Noel cried out the obvious. Lale, now a Lombre, had finally grown new features—like legs and arms for example. Even though she just evolved, Lale was already pretty handy with her new ligaments while dodging all the fire blasts coming from her opponent.

"Wow! You look so different!" Kara gushed, and retrieved her pokédex for the new moves, "Hmm...Natural Gift..." she dug into her bag of snacks and retrieved a bunch of mini-bananas. "Yo Lale! Catch!" she tossed the Nanab berries at her pokémon, who caught it expertly and placed it on the lily pad-dish on her head. "Use Natural Gift!"

"Brace yourself Rapidash!" the veteran cried out, uncertain how to block the oncoming attack. Lale began to glow a hue of blue, then EXPLODED a blue barrier, and the barrier crashed into the flaming horse, making it trip on its legs. It steadily got back up and growled.

"Woo! That was awesome! You're _totally _gonna be in the appeal round in our next contest!" she whooped, "Another Natural Gift!"

"Fire Blast!"

An explosion of barriers and an immensely hot fireball—both attacks hit, and both moves made each pokémon skid backwards. When the steam from the colliding moves vanished, all that was left standing was the veterans Rapidash.

"Not again!" she muttered, and returned her fallen pokémon, "Emporor, Time in!" her Prinplup emerged from a white light.

"Haha! You foolish girl! My Rapidash and I will—"

"Bubblebeam."

One blast of bubbles later and the flaming horse had fallen over its legs.

"Noooo!" the veteran yelled, returning his horse.

"Awesome! I'm afraid to say 'you da penguin' though..." Kara trailed off, almost contemplating.

"Ha! You said you da penguin! You're lame!" Noel laughed, laughing so hard that he fell out of his seat.

"Oh shush! You're a spectator and nothing more!" she snapped back, then turned back to the battlefield where her opponent released his last pokémon, a Tangela, mostly composed of spaghetti-like vines. As if on cue, her pokédex recited;

"_Tangela, the Vine Pokémon. Its vines are always jiggling._"

"Like a fat man" she muttered, chuckling, "Hmm, no water moves, so that limits us to the claws and Peck..."

"No more strategy! I am the face of it!" her opponent yelled, "Tangela, a mighty Bind please!" The bush with shoes caught the little penguin in its slimy grasp, either hugging it or squeezing it, hard to tell.

"...Metal Claw!" Emp slashed his way out of the Tangela's grip, but that unfortunately wasn't enough to pull away its love. Another tentacle came his way, and he slashed at it with Shadow Claw, which had turned into a huge black/purple creepy hand and took Tangela, then heaved it into the air. "...Whoa! When could you do that?" his trainer gasped, scanning him with her pokédex.

"Our pokémon sometimes have the abilities to enhance their moves..." the veteran trailed off, "But I will not be defeated!"

"Dude, how many times have you said that this chapter? Like 3? God man, you're gonna lose to the chick." Noel said, popping cashews into his mouth, wherever he got them, because now Kara wanted some. This distraction didn't stop her Prinplup though—he continued to squeeze the living hell out of the Tangela in his claws.

"Battle? Oh right, we're battling! Emp, finish it off with Peck!" she commanded. Emp finally dropped Tangela from his grasp while firing up his beak at the same time, and just as the grass type was in the right position to be jabbed—

"Tangela, use Stun Spore!" the grass type spun, liberating golden dust from its body.

"Don't—uh—DODGE!" she yelled at the last second. Her Prinplup attacked through the powder, never faltering, and smashed the Tangela into the ground. He fell to his knees afterwards, but no one declared him out as jolts of electricity paralyzed him. Everyone looked at Tangela, who wasn't moving.

"...It's fainted, I declare it! Kara wins the match!" Noel declared, holding his can of peanuts in the air as if to emphasize his words.

"NO! How could I lose to the girl I saw on TV!" the veteran wailed.

"That's what I want to know!" she replied, "Now I want to be polite and all...But pay up!"

* * *

It was almost two hours after the battle and the ice cream the veteran treated the two to, mostly cause he was broke, and they were two hours into the perpetually rainy route filled with landslides and fire pokémon, which they still haven't come across. Despite the light rain, it was fairly peaceful in the golf cart whilst the radio was on replay, with Kara's pokémon resting in their pokéballs, all but Lun who wanted to dance in the rain in the trunk, next to Kado the Alakazam who steered the whole vehicle with Psychic.

_This silence is killing me..._she sighed silently, just staring at the water ahead of her. Despite her optimistic nature, the rain in front of her was definitely bringing her down. She turned to look at Noel, who was absent-mindedly finishing his can of cashews.

"I'm bored" she stated, attempting to make herself comfortable in her seat, "How much longer till Veilstone?"

"Hmm..." he looked down at his PokéGear, "About...6 hours?"

"_6 _hours? That's the longest we've traveled straight..."

"Well unless you want to camp out in the rain, driving is our only option. Let's just hope we don't hit any other trainers on the way..." he replied.

"Okay, 6 hours to kill, I guess I have something to do," she said, turning away from the clear curtains behind her that protected her from the rain, "How did you catch your pokémon? Tell me! It's story time!" her eyes glistened like a 3-year old.

"Uh...seriously? I probably don't even remember..." he chuckled, trying to get out of telling his life story.

"Oh come _on_, you know the story of MY pokémon, you were _there_! Just tell me how you caught them!"

"Ugh fine, I'll tell you!" he groaned, and her Buneary jumped onto their laps from the outside, wet from the rain.

"Eew, you're all wet..." she squealed in disgust, "Here, sit on the dashboard, and Noel, start from the beginning in chronological order! Don't leave out any details!"

He sighed, turning towards them, knowing his story would be tedious and long, "I kinda wish we still don't have 6 hours of driving left now..." his flashbacks started as the radio was muted and the tale of how his pokémon came to be, began.

* * *

Barren the Blastoise.

_The cruise ship to Kanto had docked only an hour ago, and carmine-haired Noel was running around Pallet Town, trying to figure out where the pokémon lab was. Despite there only being four houses in the whole area, he could NOT find the lab. He resulted into opening unlocked doors and peering around, and the first house got him booted out with a broom. The second house contained a couple doing something adulterated on the floor, making him slowly close the door and cringe. The third house was empty and he waltzed right in, taking a look at all the family portraits. Strangely, it felt like home to him. Just before he was about to raid the poor family's fridge, a Mr. Mime walked in from the backyard's sliding door and stared at him blankly. Noel was already holding a cup of yogurt._

"_Put. The yogurt. Down." said a woman calmly next to the Mr. Mime, appearing out of nowhere._

"_Umm..." Noel was tempted to open the dessert, and was slowly pulling the top off—_

"_Did you hear me young man? I said put. The. Yogurt. Down." she was emphasizing the words very slowly, the gardening shovel in one of her hands slowly rising. Noel dipped his finger into the yogurt, and the woman screamed and chucked her sharp object at him. He screamed and fled to the door, the shovel nearly missing him and hitting the fridge. He ran out the door, which slammed shut as soon as his foot hit the porch._

"_Ha! I still have the yogurt!" He beamed, about to dig into his dessert, but unfortunately it magically floated away, back into the house from an open window. "Damn" he muttered as he locked gazes with the Mr. Mime from the inside of the house. He decided to let it go and headed for the last building in the town; the lab. Unfortunately the relative size of it to the other houses hadn't occurred to him when he arrived at the doors. _

_He looked around, finding couches in the front lobby. From there it led to a hallway with numerous doors, but he wasn't able to open those because someone had greeted him at the front doors before he had a chance. _

"_Why hello young man! You must be Noel yes? Good good, we have the pokémon ready, and luckily none of the other trainers have picked yet! Right this way!" the person said before he could get a word in edgewise. He was pushed down the hall, then to the left where the hall split into a T. From there there was an 'exit' sign above the door, and he was questioning why he was being pushed here, but could not object as he was tossed out the door. A small object hit his head on the way out. "Enjoy! And try not to get killed!" were the last words he heard before the doors slammed shut. Noel got up and rubbed the spot that was hit, then went to the doors and tried to open them._

_They were locked. _

_(Kara: Ha, you totally got jacked... _

_Noel: Oh shut up, there was a reason...)_

_Noel turned around, trying to figure out where he was. He found open space, greenery—a field no doubt. He turned to the ground, looking at the object that was recently thrown at his head. A pokéball._

_Noel wasn't that stupid—he was an educated dummy, getting a B average in high school, although he was considered a drop out because he was still 14 and hadn't graduated yet. He picked up the pokéball and looked around, finding a piece of paper on the door where he was forcefully kicked out of. He read the instructions very carefully—apparently this was where he would catch his first pokémon. Afterwards he would be rewarded with a pokédex and other stuff Oak gives out. _

_After minutes of walking around, Noel approached a Machop. He decided not to catch it after it started attacking his hair, believing it to be some exotic vegetable. His next move was to check the lake next door, and saw several Goldeen, but he knew he didn't want some lowly goldfish as a pokémon. He could buy those at the pet stores._

_After several minutes of staring at the water, he spotted a few orange shells a few feet away. They overturned and were revealed to be Squirtles. Noel's eyes lit up, knowing they evolved into things with GUNS, and hid behind a bush to observe them. Unfortunately his disguise was quickly ineffective because his dark red hair stuck out from the green of the plant. One of the Squirtles shot a stream of water at him, getting him wet from head to toe._

"_No! Oh, you're getting it you..." he growled, jumping out from behind the bush and into the water. The Squirtles squinted through the splash and one of them fled underwater, while the other one stayed up, curious to see where the human went. Next thing it knew it was tugged under water by the tail, quickly losing air bubbles. The turtle looked to the holder of its tail, the holder being a smirking Noel with goofy air bubbles under his nostrils. _

_(Kara: Hey, it's been a whole hour, GET ON WITH IT_

_Noel: I'm almost done! This is the good part!_

_Alakazam/Kado: [I don't think it HAS a good part]_

_Noel: Oh shush you_

_Kara: OH shush SOMEONE and get on with the story!)_

_The Squirtle slapped Noel with its tail, making him rising up to the air. The turtle then began to spin rapidly, creating a whirlpool, tugging the red-head with it. It was a mini-tornado, and luckily he was still conscious when the whole thing subsided. The Squirtle rose back to the surface, a huge grin on its face while it laughed and pointed at him._

_(Kara: Hmm. That's everyone's first impression of you._

_Noel: ...Geez you're mean! Is it the rain?_

_Alakazam/Kado: [No, you're just a pansy.])_

_That's when Noel chucked the pokéball at Squirtle, then caught it before it sunk into the water. After several shakes, it was caught._

* * *

"Well, you managed to kill an hour or so," Kara yawned as Noel finished telling his story, "I think I'm done listening for now."

"Wha? But I still have 4 other pokémon to tell about!" he protested.

"Sorry, maybe when we have more time." she shrugged.

"But we have _5 _hours!"

She shrugged again, and he glared at her and covered his eyes with his sock hat. The golf cart slowed to a stop, and the two looked around in confusion.

"...Why did we stop?" Kara inquired, acknowledging the fact that they were still surrounded by millions and millions of trees. Kado fell from back, his head falling in between the two, his spoons clanging to the top of the suitcases. Lun hopped to the back and got the two spoons, then happily clanged them together for some reason.

"Oops, we worked him out again!" Noel said, "I'll be right back—bathroom break!" he disappeared into the wet wilderness, leaving Kara with the pokémon. Unfortunately Noel left the belt to his pokéballs in his seat, meaning he had no protection out there. She returned his Alakazam into its pokéball as Noel slammed back into his seat, out of breath.

"Umm...huh?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ursarings! Went on their habitat!" he screeched, searching for his pokéballs, but he couldn't find them.

"Umm...your pants are still unzipped." she informed, laughing while turning the other way. He cursed under his breath and fixed that problem, then continued to feverishly search for his pokéballs.

"Where the hell are my pokéballs!" he screamed frantically.

"You're sitting on them! Why?" she replied as he finally found his belt under him.

"Did you _not _hear me? Ursarings chased me here!"

Her eyes widened, "Then what are we doing sitting here! Get this cart to move!"

"We don't have any gas and no one else can use Psychic!" he whined, and before he could release the pokémon from the pokéball in his hand, a loud roaring shook their whole vehicle.

"If I die, stay away from my ice cream" she hissed as the curtain next to him was ripped open by a ferocious bear. The two yelped at the sight of the beast, and since Noel was frozen with fear, Kara snatched the pokéball from his hand and released the pokémon from within; Genji the Gengar. The purple ghost immediately tackled the Ursaring, sending it to the ground.

"Hurry! Send out the rest!" Kara cried out frantically when she realized there were four other bears around the golf cart. Several flashes of light later and the whole team were out of their pokéballs, immediately attacking the bears when they realized the danger of the situation.

Shina and Hound bit ferociously into one of the Ursaring's fur, bringing it to the ground, while Lale and Lun attacked another one that was about to help. Emp and Barren released bubbles and torrents of water at other Ursarings that had appeared, while Genji and Rex handled the others. Noel's Alakazam was too tired to attack, and settled on creating a Psychic barrier to protect the humans and vehicle, away from the bears and their fists. After a minute of fighting, Noel gave up and yelled,

"Full speed ahead! We can't get rid of them!" Kado dropped the shield, and with the last ounce of his energy left, sped the cart a mile forward. The other pokémon realized this and left the bears torn and tattered, then hurriedly latched somewhere onto the cart as Genji the Gengar and Barren the Blastoise pushed the cart forward as fast as they could, while Hound the Houndoom and Shina the Luxio guided from the front, clearing the path with their fire and electric moves. It was like they had a police escort.

Hours later, after realizing they lost the Ursarings long ago, the pokémon slowed to a stop in exhaustion. The rain had stopped about a half hour ago and the humans went to tend to the four pokémon who had kept the cart going, already having returned the others to lessen the load.

"You guys were brave...you kept pushing..." Noel smiled at his pokémon rubbing them affectionately.

"You know, they could've stopped an hour ago when we passed the bridge..." Kara trailed off, fanning off his Houndoom, who had accumulated too much heat for a fire pokémon. Shina was collapsed next to him, her head settled on his side.

"We couldn't be too sure," he replied, "You guys did great, have a good rest in your balls." he returned them into their pokéballs, then went to the front where his Houndoom was. "Hey buddy...you did great. You make me proud." his pokémon just let out a snort, unable to speak at the moment.

"Has Kado rested enough to pull the rest of the cart along?" Kara asked, turning to her PokéGear, which read 8:30 PM. She was slightly depressed that she missed dinner.

"I think so, and the town is really close, look" Noel pointed up ahead, where tall buildings and civilian lights shone. They even took notice that they were on a road instead of dirt path, and even saw the cars behind them that were beeping for them to move. When they didn't, a truck pulled up next to them.

"Hey, you folks need a ride into town?" the man in the driver's seat asked. Noel immediately realized he was driving a tow truck.

"Umm, not rea—" Kara started, but Noel intervened—

"Sure, will you charge us?"

"Nah, it's pretty late and I've made all my runs, plus you look like you have some pretty tired horses over there." he said, pointing his head at their tired pokémon.

"Umm...they're a cat and dog" she corrected, but was quickly jabbed by Noel to quit talking.

"Alright, thanks sir" Noel beamed as the man pulled up ahead and began to hook up their cart to his truck. They could faintly hear the cheering of the cars behind them because they would finally be off the road.

"Jerks" she muttered, picking up her Luxio and setting her onto the golf cart.

* * *

**Since this isn't an important-plot-2-part-episode-chapter, there is no opportunity for the rest of the episode on Monday. But don't let that hold you back! If you enjoyed the chapter, or thought it could use improvement, to be afraid to tell me in a review :D**

**OH and I FINALLY joined the swimteam! WOO!...Just gotta get all the papers together. Bleh.**


	31. Bound in Leather Part 1 of 2

**I really tried not to make this first part so long...fail. Hopefully its good enough to keep your attention :D **

**Reminders:**

_Guy 1 : Pink haired, considers himself a 'gangster' and has a twin. He has an Exploud, Magnezone, and a newly evolved Vespiquen that freaks Kara out._

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 25  
Bound in Leather Part 1/2

* * *

"_DAY 20,_

"_Wow Tasha, can you believe it? It's almost been a month since I left home, and I'm not the tiniest bit homesick. Nope. I don't miss TV or the beautiful beach, nope nope nope. I don't miss how they were going to finally install solar panels into my bedroom. Nope. Don't miss a thing..._

"_Anyway, last night we finally arrived in Veilstone, our pokémon completely exhausted. The moment we arrived at the 'center, Nurse Joy snatched our pokémon and took them to the examination room. Well, I was exaggerating on the snatching. We actually had to FORCE her to take the pokémon in before the line of other children with pokémon in their arms. _

"_Anyway, that horrific nightmare with the bears is over and behind me, except that terrible dream I had last night where they were dancing to 'Raining Men'. It was like in that Twilight movie parody, Vampires Suck. Hehe._

"_Also, Noel hasn't returned from his gym battle yet. I know this because I faintly remembering waking to his shower, then heard the door slam shut, then I went back to sleep. I think the numbers on the clock were 6:30. Hm. I wonder how he was able to snag that spot so early? I'll just sign up for MY battle later, and do you know when the contest is? I need to sign up for that later. And this ends my ridiculously long text message to you :P"_

Kara once again turned to the large clock above Nurse Joy's desk, her pokémon sitting around her in the lobby. The clock read 9:00; she was impatiently waiting for Noel to return because she refused to leave the safe roof of the pokémon center to save him. She heard rumors of Veilstone—it was home to a myriad of gangs, all with tougher pokémon then hers bound together. She was deathly afraid of physical fights, despite herself being in a gang, although she hardly counted herself with Cody and the rest because she hadn't really experienced the "gang" lifestyle. Weirdly enough, she felt like donning on the jacket on top of her clothes today. It was like an insignia or something. Plus it was like 60 degrees outside.

"You don't think he got beat up right?" she asked the Luxio next to her, her legs shaking back and forth as if she had to use the potty. "He...he'll come back in peace right?"

"(Or pieces)" Emp muttered on her other side. He was smacked by a buneary ear.

"(He'll be fine, he has the rest of his team with him!)" Shina suggested, hoping to ease her trainer.

"Yeah, but remember last night? He freezes like time stops whenever something big and hairy comes across him!" Her trainer replied, her legs shaking even faster.

"(Then he's screwed, because plenty of men these days walk around without shirts)" Emp said, resulting in another slap by buneary ears.

A silence washed over the five, and Kara continued to shake in her seat. _He's supposed to be protecting ME...but what if he can't protect himself? Maybe I should call Lucian or something...I'm not feeling the safest in here..._a cold wind hit her shoulder and she turned to the 'center doors that had opened, the light hitting her eyes. Her sighs of relief were finally let go when she recognized Noel's stupid sock hat blowing in the wind.

"Noel you're back!" she gasped, hopping out of her seat to meet up with him. In her mind she wanted to hug him, but in reality she just kept her distance. She thought he was going to be a dinner to a family of 5 out there.

"Yep!" he beamed, "And I got the badge!" he held up his badge case to prove it.

"That's great! ...But why did it take you so long to get back?"

"I was just checking out the mall," he shrugged, "It's HUGE."

"Oh" she replied without interest, "So how was the battle?"

"Eh, same same, took about 3 minutes, only used Kado and Hound, the usual." he shrugged as if it were just a regular random battle instead of an official League one.

"Wait, Kado and Hound? What about Genji?" she inquired, knowing that yesterday while talking strategy, he clearly stated that he was using his Ghost type against the Fighting type gym.

"Dunno, Nurse Joy said she was still exhausted and couldn't battle. Oh well" he shrugged, then went up to the nurse's desk, Kara and her pokémon following closely behind. "Hey Nurse, can I have my Gengar back now?" he asked politely, knowing that back sass would make every nurse try to inject poison in his pokémon...

"One minute" the nurse said in an almost whisper tone, and went through the notebook on her counter. "Uh hmm...yes...no...Your Gengar must stay in her room for the time being. She's sick."

"_Sick_?" he repeated, shock written all over his face in marker. Before he could get a reasonable explanation, he shot off towards the pokémon rooms.

"He uhh...has a _really _short bladder." Kara explained, feeling awkward at the moment Noel just created. She quickly followed the line he made to the room, and found him at the bedside of his female Gengar, whose body was slowly rising and falling as she breathed. Obviously she was asleep. Kara's pokémon ran over to the fellow pokémon's side, just staring. They were like curious little kindergarteners. Nurse Joy entered the room seconds later with a clipboard.

"What happened? Why is she like this?" Noel asked in a panic-filled voice.

"Well, my only conclusion is that she was overworked and caught a cold in the rain. I assume you came from the route that never stops raining..." the nurse replied, looking at the papers;

"Wow this nurse is psychic" Kara whispered to Noel, who glared at her for not being serious in a situation like this.

"What should I do?" he asked.

"Umm...nothing would be good, just let her rest and she should be fine in a week or so..."

"A _week_?"

"Mr. Diego, you must understand that healing takes it's time, especially with pokémon. They're all different, just like us humans." the nurse replied calmly.

"Fine" he grumbled, "I'll just send her home with my mom then."

"You can't, our lines are frozen and Sunyshore is having a blackout."

"Dude, have you ever wondered how much snot Gengar's spew when they sneeze?" Kara wondered randomly, "Wait, did you say Sunyshore is having a _blackout_?" the nurse nodded. "That's impossible! Everything is run on solar power! They even have backup generators for cloudy days!"

"I don't know the whole story; apparently all the panels were either stolen or broken by a freak hailstorm." the nurse shrugged.

"I blame global warming" Kara muttered, "Man I hope my family is okay...well, they'll be fine, with the family Ninetails and Slowking protecting them and all."

"Oh sure, you're damn family is fine while my single mother is home alone in a closet." Noel grumbled.

"Isn't your Dodrio at home too?"

"So? He can't defend her from hailstorms! He can only peck at the remains!"

The nurse coughed to get their attention.

"Ahem, as I said, I recommend a week of bed rest and plenty of healthy food...and I'll be on my way." the nurse then walked out, leaving the duo alone with the pokémon.

"Hmm, I'm about to walk out too..." Kara muttered, "I'm gonna go sign up for my battle. Are you coming?"

"Nope"

"_No_?" she raised an eyebrow at him, "That's pretty strange; you either come with me or send one of your pokémon to follow five feet behind."

"My pokémon come first," he shrugged, "And I need to stop over at the mall and pick up some vitamins for Genji. Sorry."

"Umm...It's okay, I understand..." she replied, slowly walking towards the door with her pokémon following, _But...don't REAL people always come before pokémon?_

* * *

Minutes later after leaving the 'Center and swapping jackets because of precautionary reasons, Kara and her newly-evolved Lombre strolled through town, gazing at all the tall skyscrapers, all the while reading all the signs that pointed to the Gym.

"This place is nothing like Sunyshore" she whispered to her pokémon, who had never been to said city, "It's darker...scarier..._colder_...sheesh I'm glad I'm wearing my flareon jacket." she received a look from her pokémon. "...What? I hear that the Flareon's are bred specifically for thick downs so they can be used in jackets...the way they kill them is very humane!"

Her Lombre began to run, and she panicked and frantically tried to chase her pokémon through all the people on the sidewalk. _Oh no! Did I say something wrong? Shouldn't have told her it was made from REAL Flareon...thanks a lot Lucian, you're early birthday present was VERY useful! Gah! _

She reached out to touch her Lombre's hand, but then Lale span around and exploded of blue energy. Kara was pushed into a fire hydrant, colliding with her spine. She groaned as she tried to figure out which way her pokémon went, but the massive amounts of people on the sidewalk were blocking her view of her green pokémon.

"Darn it I thought she got rid of those stupid Nanab berries already..." she hissed to herself, attempting to get up. There was a spot on her back that was completely in pain, making her hunch over. Two familiar feet stepped into her line of vision, and when she looked up... "BUG! AH!" she screamed and fell off her feet, her back hitting the fire hydrant again. She cursed under her breath as the bruise on her back was probably increasing in size. The Vespiquen that stood in front of her just blinked.

"_Dang_...you hit the pump!" said a familiar voice behind the queen bee. Kara had to chuckle when she realized who it was—Kalib, the gang member, of all people, just _had _to be in Veilstone, the home to many other gangs. He slid out from behind his pokémon, offering a hand to the young girl still on the ground with the aching back.

"Yeah, that would be the second time today..." she replied, gratefully taking his hand, knowing that she her legs were failing at the moment. He heaved her up and she yelped as the bruise on her back was stressed. His brows furrowed in confusion and concern.

"Are you okay? Did you run into a gang?"

_Of course THAT would be the first thing he asks_, she grumbled in her head, and shook her head at him, rubbing her back. "I umm...fell on the hydrant. And have you seen my Lombre? She kinda ran off..."

"Since when did you have a Lombre?" he wondered, walking with her as she continued to scan the streets for her rouge pokémon.

"My Lotad evolved yesterday..." she explained, her voice drifting off, "I can't believe she ran, it's against her nature..."

"What did you do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I uh...told her my jacket was made of real flareon fur." she muttered in response, making sure that the Vespiquen following behind them didn't hear. The next thing they needed was for the evil bee to go rouge too.

He made a 'tsk tsk' noise with his teeth, "This wouldn't have happened if you wore the leather jacket instead!"

She sighed dramatically at the mention of the jacket. That shut him up and put a silence over them, an awkward one no doubt.

"Um...so what were you planning on doing—before all this happened?" he corrected himself before he said more.

"I was going to go schedule a gym battle..." she replied in a low voice, her silver eyes still scanning the streets. Whatever trail her pokémon left, she obviously lost.

"Then let's head to the gym!" he suggested cheerfully as if her search party meant nothing to him.

"But what about my Lombre?" she asked worryingly.

"Eh, so what? We'll file a missing pokémon report later. Let the thing get some air." he replied with a shrug, heading to the general direction of the gym.

She pouted. _THING? Lale is NOT a thing. I can't just stand here and act like its nothing...what if she gets lost or hurt? ...Strange. I'm feeling like Noel now._

* * *

The two arrived at the Gym minutes later, with Kara still overturning every potted plant in search of her pokémon. Still no luck. On the way there she spotted something that _resembled _a Lombre, but instead it was an extremely short man wearing a green raindish to keep out the 'aliens'. Kalib had to pull her away before she was abducted by the strange man.

Anyway, they were currently at the door of the Gym, and Kara was having cold feet. She couldn't meet her acquaintances gaze either; mostly because he had a Vespiquen on his shoulder.

"Damn, pick up your feet" he said as he dragged her into the Gym by the hood. A buzz from his Vespiquen got her feet moving all the way to the receptionist desk.

"Welcome to the Veilstone Gym" the man at the desk said, dressed in a gi. They both assumed he was a martial arts student. "I'll just need to see some form of ID..." Kara placed her pokédex on counter, while Kalib dug a card out of his pocket with two punched holes in 2 of the 8 boxes.

"...What's that?" she asked him as the receptionist scanned their items.

"It's my trainer's license" He answered.

"You need a _license _to be a trainer?" she asked, feeling a bit out of the loop.

"Yeah. You need one either after you win 4 badges or before you turn 15. After that they won't let you challenge gyms anymore...or have strong pokémon. Well, unless you have a pokémon license." he explained.

She blinked. "_What_? But I only have a pokédex! And I'm turning 15 next week!"

"Apply to get your licenses then!" he replied, receiving his card back from the receptionist, "If you don't, you'll pretty much be a criminal—and woman; there's a different between gangstah's and po-po fleers."

"I can't believe you just said those words like that..." she muttered.

"Look—if you don't want to be like Cody, who's probably going to be ticketed for traveling without a traveling license, then get your cards! It's better safe than sorry."

"This coming from the "gangster"." she said, using airquotes.

"It's pronounced gang-STA. STA. With an S-T-A." he corrected. The receptionist gave the two business cards with writings on it.

"Here you two; this is your scheduled battle time. Be sure to contact us if you need to reschedule. Enjoy your day!" with that, the receptionist waved them off. The two turned around to leave, both staring at their cards.

"I'm scheduled for the 30th at 10 AM." Kara stated.

"Weird, me too." Kalib said.

"Oh, and you two have a double battle!" the receptionist called as they walked out the door.

* * *

Now, after talking about strategy, Kara began to search for her pokémon again as Kalib groaned and watched her look around.

"Come on, you're not going to find her! Give up!" he said.

"Never!" she gasped, "If you're Exploud had ran off into the wilderness, would you run after him?"

"Nah, he's too fast. Besides, he's completely domesticated, so it'd be too hard to adjust and he'd be running back." he shrugged in response. She glared at him and collapsed back into the bench next to him, just boredly watching the busy citizens of Veilstone crowd the sidewalks to get to their daily jobs. Eventually Kalib would trip them and laugh as the rest of the people fell like dominos. "So did you sign up for the contest?"

"...There's a contest?" she asked, turning to him with a look.

"Yeah, on the 30th. It's on that poster" he nudged his head towards the poster across all the people passing them on the sidewalk.

_Crap! _"Great, so I only have 2 days to practice. Nice." she muttered, "And my only pokémon in mind to do the appeal round is out on town without me."

"Plus its right after the gym battle" he reminded.

"You're _so_ helpful," she grumbled, and got up, heading in a different direction.

"Wait—where're you going?" he questioned, running to catch up with her.

"Mall" she stated, "I'm going to go search for a contest costume, then search for my Lombre. I don't care if you don't want to come for either."

"Wait—stop—Dammit Kara will you just stop!" he grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around so she would face him. He was given her evilest look that almost crept him out. "Don't make me feel like a jackass—we're a team, a gang, and the last thing I want to do is tear it apart."

"Weird, you didn't seem to mind when Cody walked off into the sunset." she replied sarcastically, crushing her usually optimistic nature.

"Which is exactly why I want to fix us," he said, "We...we lost Cody, but he'll come around when he loses that Kayla chick."

"What does this have to do with me and going to the mall?"

He sighed, "Look—what I'm saying, is that I'll come with you—I'll sit through your millions of dresses cause I'm not so good with girls like Shawn, and I'll even help you look for your Lombre—like a friend would do."

A smile crept to her lips. "...Really?"

"Just one thing..."

Her attempted smile instantly fell.

"So people know you're OUR property, can you _please _wear the leather jacket?"

She sighed, "Fine, but you have to carry all my bags _and _pay for half the things I buy. Okay?"

"Deal" he smirked, although behind her he swore he spotted a green rain dish. Hopefully it wasn't that midget.

* * *

After more minutes of walking and searching, the two arrived at the Veilstone Mall. They of course hadn't found Kara's Lombre, but they were bound to run into it right? That's what she was hoping anyway. She wasn't sure she could keep in her soon-to-be lunch if she couldn't find her pokémon. Puking helped her in times like this.

The two looked up at the mall, their eyes widening at the 8-story building. Display windows could be seen on the 3rd floor, and people in lines could be seen from the 4th. They assumed that was where the food court was.

"...Wow. And I thought the Sunyshore Outlet was big." she muttered, trying to stretch her neck to see the rooftop. Unfortunately the sun had blinded her before she could get a glimpse.

"Outlets, Malls; hell all Floaroma had were tiny stores..." Kalib replied, taking a deep breath of the city, then coughed at the stench of gasoline. He probably wasn't used to going from the fresh scent of flowers to the odor of diesel. It wasn't his fault his twin liked to carry bouquets of flowers everywhere. "I guess I'm gonna do some shopping too."

"That sounds weird coming from a guy...your starting to sound like my shopaholic friend Ravenn." she said, entering the air conditioned store with him. The scent of clothing starch hit their noses, but it was definitely better then the smell of diesel and burgers outside.

"I think my brother is rubbing off me" he shrugged in response as they strolled over to the directory. The lobby was mostly filled with receptionists, labels, and hallways to restrooms.

"_Think_?" she laughed, missing the finger that was flipped at her. She looked over at the receptionist desk, finding a banner that said 'Contest Sign Ups Here' in pink ink. Normally the girly color would sting her eyes, but the word 'contest' was enough to get her to abandon her spot at the directory.

"Alright, you go sign up for your girly contest while I look at the map!" Kalib called, then swiped some maps from a podium on the directory and went through all the store locations, but most of it just jumbled in his brain and went out through his mouth in silence. He didn't understand this complex map at all. The colored boxes with numbers on it were just too much for a 'gangsta' like him to understand.

Kara returned a few seconds later, a bright grin on her face confirming that she had officially entered the contest on the 30th. "So, decided where you want to go?" she asked.

"Umm...you choose." he replied.

"Kay kay." she grinned, and her eyes scanned the map store listings, "Ooh, Forever Misdreavus. Wait. No, they're all emo clothing. I'm looking for a rainbow colored dress..."

"How about that store named Rainbow?"

"That's more of a ghetto store," she sweat dropped, "Umm, let's see...Gardevoir Imported...prom gowns from Hoenn mostly...hmm...ooh, Sevii Sears. They have electronics in that department store."

"Then let's go there" he concluded, and headed to the elevators, hoping that he pressed the right button since he was terrible at reading button numbers too.

* * *

After navigating though several corridors of various stores and services, Kara and Kalib arrived at Sevii Sears; a department store infamous for carrying fashions from the Sevii Islands in Kanto. The two had narrowly escaped female Veilstone inhabitants while searching for the store, and Kara had feared that her male friend would be whisked away by hormonally challenged teenagers. Luckily he was able to distract them by pointing to a random store and shouting "Sale!"

They were currently walking though the front doors, and like a kid in a candy store, Kalib ran into the male section of the store at the sight of a Machoke-themed jacket.

"Yung! Don't this look tight?" He said as if he was with his regular guy friends. Kara looked at him and blinked.

"...Proper English?" she requested.

"Aww who asked you," he replied, "I've got money to spend anyway!"

"So you won't check the tag?" she inquired as he yanked the jacket off its hanger. There were multiple copies of other colors behind it.

"No need" he shrugged, tugging it on to see if it fit. His muscles were shown off on the jacket obviously; extra padding in the arms and such. It's suppose to resemble a Machoke remember?

A few girls began to watch him, and Kara blinked as Kalib turned into Cody, wearing the jacket and posing his supposed rippling muscles at them. Cody winked at her, and she shook her head and blinked again, rubbing her eyes. Were her contacts defective? Nope, because now it was back to Kalib, who was cockily kissing his jacket's muscles.

_What was that...with Cody...EWW, no, no, NO! He's with Kayla, and I respect that! I'm not a boyfriend stealer! I've never even HAD a boyfriend! I'm 14 for God's sake! I mean, Kalib and Cody look similar, but only in the hair department...goodness..._

She shook her head, trying to rid of her previous thoughts, and took a look at the price tag on the jacket while Kalib continued posed in the mirror, her eyes bugging out at the price. "A—are you sure you want _this _jacket?"

"Stop trying to manage my life woman!" he accused, pulling the jacket away from her fingers.

"I'm not!" she argued, "I'm just trying to help you see the price tag that you just tossed aside! Price and quality matter when you shop ya know!"

He groaned and shook his head, "Yeah whatever, you're just REALLY reminding me of my mom. And my sister."

"Alice or whatever her name is wouldn't like you throwing your money away, right?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"She spent two-hundred dollars on stuffed pokémon that one day. So..."

"Bad example" she sweat dropped.

"Doesn't matter, I'm gettin' it!" he grinned, then shrugged off the jacket, and stared at the price tag as it slapped him in the face. He shrugged and threw it over his shoulder, then joined his friend at staring at all the posters hanging on the ceiling with various girls on it. "What are you staring at? WHOA have you gone lesbo?"

She blinked out of her reverie and stepped back, "Oh gross no!" she shrieked, "Those posters—my friends are the models in it!"

"Liar" he muttered.

"No really! That girl right there with the crazy ponytail in layer-y clothes is my shopaholic friend Ravenn, and the other..."full figured" one in the...Vaporeon Dress? Err—that's Maria! She keeps Ravenn in line." she explained, pointing at the various posters her friends were posing in. The backdrop was a beach, apparently, with several water pokémon jumping around in the distance.

"Oh, I believe that, but not the lesbo thing" he replied in a low voice.

"I _am _straight!" she shrieked in a high pitched voice, then realized what she said and how _loud _she said it, and quickly fled to the other side of the store.

* * *

**Gosh, I promise there's a better plot next chapter! And it involves...wait for it...GANGS! Uh, yeah, we're in Veilstone, we're going to keep that dream alive...anyways, I haven't really written much for the next chapter, so I can't promise another chapter on Monday if we get 4 or more reviews next chapter T_T**

**But review if you want to anyway :D**


	32. Bound in Leather Part 2 of 2

**Thanks so much for the reviews last chapter! You guys inspire me so :D Anywayz, wowza, 32 chapters, thank you SO much for still sticking around! So thanks to last chappies reviewers; bubbles (who I hope will ALWAYS be here :D), sagemode12345 (is this still yamashishi/Slate? I thought you found your password?), Teddiursa97 (thanks for always being here! :D you rock!), and cjml1 (you're still here too! Yay!)!**

**Well, done with introductions, so read on :D this chapter is like...semi-serious...hmm...**

Cast to Return this Chapter:

_Guy 1: Black hair with orange tips died, Spanish, has mostly fire types, and is the definition of calm. Or so._

_Guy 2: Overly flirty, has no bounderies, is part of the Floaroma Gang, and has a Cherrim._

_Girl 1: Guy 2's girlfriend, Kara's rival who absolutely hates her, and she's such a...well, you know. _

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 25  
Bound in Leather Part 2/2

* * *

In a chair. At a table. In a room. FULL OF TOO MANY PEOPLE. This was Kara and Kalib's current location; they had given up on looking for her contest costume, and had taken a break at the food court. Kalib was stuffing himself with McDonalds while Kara was just picking at her sandwich; she was still depressed that her Lombre was lost, and she wasn't doing anything to look for it.

He sighed; "Perk up dammit, you're the sunshine of the gang! You're downin' my mood!"

She glared at him through her sunglasses; "Boo hoo."

"Look at you! Actin' all gangsta! Normally that would make me proud, but this is not the time to act all cool woman!"

"And why is that?" she deadpanned.

"...Because! Err...because..." he searched his brain for an answer, "Because...because you're too skinny! Eat!" he shoved her sandwich towards her.

"Liar" she grumbled, and pushed his burger that was placed on its wrapper onto the floor. He gaped at it;

"Heey! Don't express your angriness on my food!" he whined, picking it back up. He didn't want to eat it because it had picked up some weird gunk on the trip back to the table. He decided to just rip a piece out of her uneaten sandwich.

"Can we just leave?" she groaned, wanting so bad to get out of here.

"Fine, just let me finish my food." he snapped.

"You mean _my _food..." she muttered, and began to look around. Her eyes widened when she recognized two figures in the line to McDonalds. _...Cody and KAYLA? CRAP! What are they doing here? And eew, they're acting like a couple... _she got up from the table and told Kalib she was going to get herself another sandwich, then made herself a disguise. It was composed of her hair tied up into a ponytail, the leather jacket around her waist, and the sunglasses over her eyes. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize her as she began to spy.

She crept over to the McDonalds line, inconspicuously twisting her neck to see the people she was watching over. "Gross...their cuddling and singing Bruno Mars..." she muttered while tipping her sunglasses down.

"Who are you talking to?"

She yelped and span around, finding herself face-to-face with her Spanish rival, Edgar Santiago. _Crap! I forgot! Edgar is tagging along with them! And he's the smartest of them, which means my poor disguise is useless..._

"Umm...my..." she trailed off, trying to think of a reason why she was stalking the couple in the front of the line while staring at the food on his tray. "What are you doing in Veilstone?" she hoped that this change in subject would go on unnoticed.

Apparently it did, because his lifted eyebrow dropped. "I'm here to battle the gym leader, Maylene, while Kayla's entering the contest on Friday." he answered. She nodded, trying her best not to look directly into his gold eyes, because last time she did that she just got lost in them.

"Cool; Noel actually beat her this morning. I wasn't there to see it though..." she shrugged, trying to keep her cool. Having a conversation with Edgar for more than five seconds was a broken record.

"Good," he nodded, "Are you entering the contest too?"

"Yeah," she beamed, but then her smile fell when the situation of her loss pokémon was suddenly remembered at the word 'contest'. Edgar didn't seem to notice. "Umm...if you see a-a Lombre on the streets, can you bring her back? I-I mean back to me, umm, at the pokémon center or just call me on the-uh-PokéGear..." she stuttered, looking down to her shoes.

"Oh...you're Lombre is missing?" he inquired, although to her the sympathy sounded fake. She nodded anyway. "When did you get a Lombre?"

She had to smile at that. Did _no one _remember her Lotad? "Uh...ee-yeah, my Lotad evolved yesterday..."

"Why'd it run away?"

She shuffled her feet, ashamed of the answer, "I um...told her that my jacket was made of real flareon..."

"Don't those real fur coats cost a lot?" he inquired, probably assuming she was on a budget.

"Yeah, but it was an early birthday present from my uncle." she explained.

"Oh...so it's your birthday?"

"On the second" she nodded, and he nodded with her. "So umm...I'm gonna go." she pointed to a different food stand, and he continued to nod and let her go. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she was finally away from him and in a different line for pizza sticks.

_Wait...what did I get up for again? Oh right! To spy on Cody and Kayla! _She pushed her sunglasses back onto her nose and turned her head slightly, only to find Cody staring straight at her with a smirk. She turned back quickly, almost scared out of her wits. She was glad to know that the food court was full of loud people—otherwise they would hear the change in heartbeats for both guys...

* * *

Finally leaving the tempting mall, Kara and Kalib began to head towards the Pokémon center. The walk was silent, awkward, and according to Kara, a living hell because his Vespiquen was still behind them. He says it's for security, but why can't he use his other pokémon? Like his Magnezone or Exploud? Anything but that bug.

"So..." Kalib started, "What do you think about logos on the back of our jackets?"

"You've got to be kidding me..." she replied, wondering if he talks about anything besides the leather jacket, "Won't it be embarrassing to have the words 'Flower Gang' written in pink on your backs?"

"Psh, that's not what we we're going to put!" he argued, "Shawn and I were thinking 'The Floaroma Bad Asses', or for a single person, 'The Floaroma Bad Ass'."

"I can't wear curse words," she snapped, "I'm pure and innocent!"

"You can't be pure and innocent if you're thinking dirty," he smirked in response, "A clean person would refer an 'ass' as a donkey."

"_You're_ a donkey." she muttered.

"So do you think it's a good idea then?"

"I don't care...but make mine an sign with two $ signs."

He rolled his eyes, "Wow, original. I'll get Shawn to sew it onto our jackets later."

"He knows how to sew?"

"Yeah, plus he loves doing girly projects like that."

"Oh."

It was silent again, except for the sound of wings buzzing together. The two passed an alley and Kara froze, almost certain that she saw the shadow of a Lombre just now. Kalib noticed that she wasn't moving and tried to search for what she was staring at, but the shadow was gone.

"That...that was Lale right then, I hope..." she said, inching forward to the alley. He stopped her by holding her shoulder.

"Hold it." he said, "You've got to be careful here...it's Veilstone, we're not the only gang around anymore. Plus these guys probably have weapons on them..."

"And your Vespiquen _wasn't_ registered as a lethal weapon?" she spat. He glared at her,

"Look, you're Lombre is lost alright? This kind of thing we let the police handle—especially in a town like this."

"So we're just going to run away?" she hissed, "My Lombre means the world to me! All my pokémon do! I'll never give up, I don't care what gets in my way!"

"...That's some spirit you've got there miss..."

The two turned to the foreign voice; it was a blue haired man with his do in the shape of a crescent. What he was wearing was a bit hard to describe—it looked like a black turtleneck, white vest, and black pants with the material of a winter coat.

"Um...hello?" she said, unsure why this stranger began speaking with her.

"Did you say you're Lombre is missing?" the stranger continued, backing both teens into the alley, along with Kalib's Vespiquen, who began to fly around wildly for some strange reason.

"My mommy says to never talk to strangers." she replied with a pout, crossing her arms childishly. The strange man laughed at her, making her face fall.

"Mommy isn't here right now though, is she?" the way he said it almost made her run. "Just that strange haired boy next to you with the nose ring."

"_Me_? _Strange_? You're the one with blue hair" Kalib sneered back.

"So I hear you two are looking for a Lombre?" the stranger continued to talk. The two hadn't even realized that they were backed into the middle of the alley with shadowed strangers surrounding them behind dirty grit walls.

"Yeah...why do you want to know?" she inquired.

The stranger snapped, and one of his lackeys emerged from the back of the alley with a Lombre attached to a rope. Kara instantly recognized the pokémon as her own.

"Lale!" she cried out, running to her pokémon, but she was instantly flagged by two other people in strange uniforms with bright blue bowl-like hairdos. "Let go! That's _my _pokémon!"

"Wait...you guys are from Team Galactic!" Kalib said, "I recognize the suits from the time you tied up my dad at the Windworks!" he too was being surrounded by galactic people, and his Vespiquen could do nothing, because it was tied up as well.

Trapped.

"Hehe...so you remember my co-captain Mars' work..." the man laughed.

"Kalib! He's from Team Galactic too!" Kara whispered to him over all the people keeping her anchored in one spot.

"Oh reeeally?" he replied sarcastically. "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

"I am Saturn," the man replied, and walked up to Kara, fondling with her hair, "And who are you my dear?"

"Eeew don't touch me!" she said, shaking her hair to get his hands away from it. _Pervert much? _She thought.

"Listen, if you want your Lombre back, you're going to have to do something..." he began, wiggling his eyebrows.

"No." she deadpanned, not even wanting to know what it was.

Meanwhile, Kalib was trying to reach for his belt. Luckily he was able to reach his pokéballs and released his Exploud and Magnezone from their balls. In return all the other grunts began to fight him, releasing Kara from her binds. She hurriedly ran over to her Lombre, but a Toxicroak jumped off a roof from the buildings between her and stopped her path.

"No no no, we won't have any of that..." smirked Saturn. She reached for her pokéballs, but accidentally grabbed the empty one that was for her Lombre and ended up getting no help.

_WHAM!_

The Toxicroak struck her with a metal pole in the skull, giving her a mighty headache and making her collapse on the dirty floor. She blacked out shortly after.

"Crap, Kara!" Kalib shouted worriedly, still ordering his pokémon to attack the fleeing grunts, "Vespiquen use Gust!" his Vespiquen blew away its binds, tossing the rope aside, "Get Kara out of here!" the bug picked up the young girl, flying her to the rooftop above the madness, and the girl opened her eyes briefly, only to faint again at the sight of the bug.

"We'll come again; you have no idea how useful she is to Team Galactic..." Saturn said, "Toxicroak, the Lombre!" Saturn and his pokémon disappeared instantly, taking Kara's Lombre with them. Kalib cursed and looked around the alley, trying to figure out where the two went off to, but they had expertly escaped just like that. The remaining grunts had already fled, so his pokémon looked to him questioningly.

"What the hell just happened..." he muttered, face palming. His Vespiquen returned to the ground, girl in tow, and gave her to his Exploud since it was the stronger one of the two. "Alright guys, let's head to the Center..." he sighed, running his hand through his hair. Why did all the weird things happen to _them_?

* * *

"Stay still Rex; we don't need another repeat of the Canalave library." Noel said to his Turtwig as he placed him on the desk where a computer lied. He signed in on it as a guest and kept a close eye on his reckless pokémon, making sure he wouldn't have to pay for any damages like last time. "Weird, its 4 and Kara isn't back yet..." he muttered, "Didn't she say she was going to the mall? I didn't see her when I was getting Genji's medications..."

"(Let me go retrieve mama!)" Rex squealed, clapping his stubs together.

"And let you get kidnapped? Think again Rex" Noel grinned, patting the turtle's shell. Rex sighed in returned and watched as his trainer received a video call. They could both tell by a window opening up saying 'VIDEO CALL, IGNORE OR RECEIVE'. Noel was tempted to press ignore till he figured out who the number belonged to. It was Slate.

He clicked 'receive', momentarily glancing at his Turtwig to see that he had crawled into his sock hat. He turned back to the computer screen, only to let out a high pitched scream at a close up of a brown eye.

"Slate! Back up! I can see your corneas!" He said, trying to calm himself down. His Turtwig fell off the table, still in the hat.

"_Sorry sorry_" apologized the fourteen year old on screen. Slate began to fix the camera to the point where it was just him with the background of the Daycare Center lobby in Solaceon instead of a scarily accurate close up of his eye. "_I like turtle soup._"

"Yeah sure so how goes it? How's life on the farm?" Noel inquired.

"_It's a Daycare double D_"

"Why do you and my mother always call me that? It's my hair isn't it?" he shouted at the screen.

"_...Sure. It's the hair. Anyways not much has happened since you left, it's pretty calm actually...plus Mary left to Hearthome to deliver some pokémon. So it's boring._" Slate said with a sigh.

Noel laughed, "Just flirt with the books like you should be, Slate."

"_I-I have never done that!_"

"So you're saying you _weren't _the onewhispering sweet nothings to that book a few days ago in the woods?"

"_...I'm going to direct this conversation somewhere else. How's Kara? Where she at?"_

Noel shrugged, "I dunno, she left a few hours ago and hasn't said anything yet. Oh yeah, she's scheduling a gym battle! I had mine this morning; it was _so _quick I swear I wasn't even commanding moves."

Slate sighed, "_I'd like to see you LOSE for once, you know? You always go through hardships as if they were rowboats. I forgot the purpose of that simile. So just Kado and Genji right?"_

Noel's face fell at the sound of his Gengar.

"_...What? Was it something I said?" _Slate obviously noticed what the red head did.

"It's not you...I just pushed Genji too hard last night, and now she's sick. Hey—can you take care of her over there? Oh wait, the lines are dead...damn never mind." Noel muttered, looking down to his shoes where his Turtwig was just ramming into it while still in the sock hat.

"_Oh. Well did you get the meds or..."_

Both guys turned to the Center doors where Kalib and his Exploud entered. Noel's jaw dropped when he saw what was in the Exploud's arms. A short, dark purple haired thing, to be exact.

Kara.

"Oh my God! Kara!" he said, rushing out of his chair to the two that had entered the Center. Slate was just left at the computer, although he was putting his nose up to the screen to see the scene better. Another not-so-pretty picture...

"Hey Noel..." Kalib said through his teeth. Hell was eminent for him.

"What the hell happened? Is she alright? Bruises cuts—" Noel began hysterically, lifting her arm and dropping it. It just hung to the side limply.

"Just a bang on the head, no big deal." Kalib reassured.

"Wha—are you sure? What did she do? Run into a wall or something?"

"Sure...let's go with that." he muttered, fiddling with his nose ring, "Exploud, put her on that couch..."

The purple monster placed the girl onto one of the several couches in the lobby, the background people around watching with interest. Noel and Kalib sat on couches next to her, and Rex came to their side, still in the hat. I think he's stuck...

Noel came to her side, then just when he was going to do something slowly...he began to shake her shoulder. "Hey, wake up! You're going to miss the ice cream truck!"

"ICECREAM?" Kara's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly, only to wince and hold her head. "Shi..." she almost cursed out loud until the pain in her head finally faded. The same goes for her back from earlier with the fire hydrant. _Wait...where the hell am I...and where's Lale? Where the—ow ow ow, stupid big brain of mine..._

"Are you okay? What happened?" Noel prodded her.

"She walked into a wall! I told you already!" Kalib piped out of nowhere.

"...Wall?" she blinked, "Wait...no...not a wall...Team Galactic ambushed us and hit me with a...a...something metal because it rang in my ears...and my head really hurts!"

"_Team Galactic_?" Noel repeated, green eyes wide, "Kalib you...you freakin' jackass! Why didn't you tell me it was something as bad as Team Galactic?" Kalib didn't answer, only keeping his eyes to the ground. "I thought you guys were friends! I thought _we _were friends! Why did you have to make up some lie? I trust you with her life, and what happens? She gets raped by Team Galactic!"

"I said _ambush_, not that." she clarified.

"Oh shut up, it's _your _fault too! No pokémon? Didn't put up fight? No nothing? Where're your damn brains? Where's your responsibility?"

Kalib shot up, angrily fuming if it wasn't evident in his red face. "Oh quit giving us crap Noel, as if you had nothing to do with this!" he yelled, "Where's _your _responsibility huh? You said Lucian hired you to be her escort and body guard, and in the most dangerous place in Sinnoh, what do you do? You let her go on the streets by herself! You have as much blame in this damn situation as I do!"

"Don't try to pin this on me! I wasn't there!" Noel yelled back.

"Exactly! You _weren't _there, and she's _your _responsibility!" Kalib shot back.

Kara's lip quavered, her eyes shooting back and forth between Kalib and Noel. Her gang buddy and her traveling buddy. And Rex had hit her foot. She shot up, ignoring the pain in her skull and back,

"Stop, both of you, STOP!" she yelled, straining her voice. Both of them faded into silence and stared at her. "I-I can't take this! You're my friends! What's done is done! We-we can't change the past, and my Lombre is missing, and you're arguing about me, who's _right here_! So stop!" she gripped her head, as if a massive headache was coming on. "J-just stop!" her high pitched voice had finally found their sympathy.

"She's right..." Kalib muttered, turning back to the floor, "And I'm sorry...kind of."

"I don't care what she says man...we're not cool." Noel said. Kalib blinked in confusion. "Yeah, you heard me, get out of here! I don't want to see your face ever again! Don't you ever speak to her again hear me?"

"Noel you're—" Kara started,

"Quiet!" He snapped, "You're done with this gang fantasy, you hear me? Now go to your room!"

"But—"

"ROOM!"

She looked around the room, her heat rising to her face. Everyone had heard their loud conversation, and she didn't like their faces. Kalib was facing the ground, his fists jammed into his pockets. Rex had finally found his way out of the hat. And her? She had just become five, and was trudging to her room feeling like crap.

_He...he's doing it again, he's trying to be everything he's not..._she thought, opening the door to their room, _He can't stop me from seeing my friends...and he can't stop me from what I am and what I do..._she dropped her bag and jacket onto the floor, then looked up to the ceiling, _Jeez, my life is beginning to get effed up so bad._

With that, she collapsed onto her bed and tried to dream of a world where everything was right with her binds in that leather jacket...if only.

* * *

**If only :D The ending made me so...bleh. Noel. Also, next chapter is Noel-centric and exclusive. Kara does not exist anywhere in that chapter (only gets mentioned...a few times). FINALLY**

**Also, 122 REVIEWS! WOW! Amazing. Amaazing~**

**Aaand because I forgot to do this when Lale the Lotad/Lombre evolved...**

_Current Pokemon_

Kara

(MALE) Prinplup - Emp/Emporor  
(FEMALE) Luxio - Shina  
(FEMALE) Lombre - Lale  
(FEMALE) Buneary - Lun/Lunybuny

Noel

(MALE) Blastoise - Barren  
(MALE) Houndoom - Hound  
(MALE) Kado - Alakazam  
(MALE) Dodrio - Dude _PC/Home  
_(FEMALE) Gengar - Genji  
(MALE) Turtwig - Rex


	33. A Night Under the Stalkerlike Stars

**WOO! No school for me Monday and Tuesday~**

**Thanks to last chapters reviewers for being so awesomely awesome and reviewing: **_bubbles, _**and **_pokefan101!_** YAAY!**  
**Also thanks to **_November Rising _**for reading up until now and reviewing almost everyone of them :3 aww...who knew people like this story**

**ALSO! Title Picture. Totally have one. And its AWESOME because I say so :3 (remove the spaces, or consult profile. If either dont work tell me please)**

**http: / kiara411 . deviantart . com / # / d31mziq**

****

Reminders:

_Girl 1: Stalker. Bright blue hair in an insanely long ponytail. Has an Absol, Froslass, Altaria, and Gyrados._

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 26  
A Night Under the Stalker-like Stars

* * *

The night was still considered young as fifteen year old red headed Noel strolled the calm and quiet streets of Veilstone. His eyes watched his feet as he wandered, not really having a destination in mind. All he knew is that he had a massive head ache to deal with, and the only cause was his purple haired companion who was injured just hours ago without him witnessing it. What kind of body guard was he anyway? He had just let her go, all alone with her weak pokémon, in the most dangerous place in Sinnoh. Maybe Kalib was right—maybe it _was_ all his fault. His walking began to slow when his contemplating had reached this far.

He shook his head, ridding himself of his doubting thoughts, and continued to walk forward. He ignored the tiny patter of feet behind him, because at least _he _was smart enough to have a pokémon behind him. His Houndoom trailed behind him protectively, only a call away if he was in trouble. This little thing could've been used on Kara, but _no_—his Gengar came first.

And he really didn't want to think of her right now. She was safe, sitting in the 'center with his Alakazam making sure she didn't run off into the streets in her pajamas. _He _was the one putting himself in danger by being out here at night. He slowed to a stop again when his ears picked up non-pokémon feet.

He rolled his eyes, as if he'd seen this tactic millions of times before. He span around on his heel, facing a lamp post only steps away.

"I know you're there Alta; I can see your ponytail." he said.

No response.

"Just come out okay? It's late and I don't feel like dealing with your crazy."

That must've persuaded the stalker, because the figure stepped out from behind the lamp post. As he had thought, it was Alta, his mega super fan and number one stalker. After a year of dealing with her in Kanto and a month in Sinnoh, he had recognized her dainty little footsteps in those blue vans of hers.

"So how long have you been following me?" he inquired, familiar with the routine the two had gone back and forth with before Kara had entered the picture.

She shrugged, stepping forward so that she was next to him, "Oh nothing obsessive...just from the 'Center."

"So...three blocks?"

"Yes." she nodded politely. He rolled his eyes again, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Let's break the routine today, I'm not in the mood for your crap right now." he began, and her devious grin had instantly dropped into a scowl. What did he mean? "Why don't you come with me? We could go do something."

"Like...like a date?" she inquired. The lamp post above them didn't highlight her blush, unfortunately.

"I don't care really; I just want to get my mind off Kara."

Her growing smile had fallen again. The girl had entered the picture _again_. Stalking him was much easier in Kanto when he didn't recognize her footsteps, or have that perky girl on his shoulder. "Why is your mind on her?"

"You tell me...you're the observant one." he said, choosing his words carefully, away from the word 'stalker' which was screaming its way into his vocabulary.

"Ah, so you're still mad about the incident with Team Galactic."

"Bingo" he grinned, "If you were there...why didn't you do anything?"

"I'm sorry, it hadn't crossed my mind," she muttered, "All I wanted to do was write details about it."

"Fantastic, now I can find out about the attack in gory details." he deadpanned. "Can we just go do something? I just want to forget about all the things that happened today, minus my gym battle."

"Very well..." she agreed, following him as he continued to stroll the streets again, "There's the casino...but we shall not be heading in there tonight." she eyed him, seeing that he probably wasn't paying attention to her previous statement, "We could go to that massage lady and find interesting items in our pokémon..." she looked up again, irritated that he wasn't listening. "Or we could—"

"Let's go to the park." He interrupted, "They have meteorites there."

"Err...sure, if that's what you wish..." she agreed, hurriedly following him.

* * *

The walk was awkwardly silent for Alta, while it was just boring to Noel. They arrived at the front of the park, and he looked up at the sign that said 'Veilstone Park; BEWARE: Meteors.' He scoffed and entered, and Alta snuck an umbrella from her book bag and hastily draped it over her head. Noel turned around, smacking the item out of her hand.

"Don't hide the sky; you'll miss the meteor shower." He said, cocking his head upwards. She hesitated to pick her umbrella back up, but instead decided to stand next to him and wait for the fiery rocks to come. All that was there were the stars. It was romantic, in a sense.

"So uhh...will you protect me if a meteor comes near me?" she questioned.

"You can protect yourself." he shrugged. She scowled and turned back to the sky, then looked down to their hands which were only inches apart. She flicked her eyes at him; he wasn't paying attention to their hands, and she was slowly moving towards his...

"Look there's the first one!" he quickly took her hand and pointed her finger at the first meteor to scratch the sky, and luckily for her he didn't look down at their hands previously to see her advancing. He dropped her hand and she brought it up to her heart, sighing like a love struck stalker and trying to focus away from her burning cheeks. It was more of a crush actually. "Crap, 'nother one heading this way!" He laughed and pushed her in the other direction, making her stumble out of the way. There was a _pew_! sound as a tiny object flew past them, nearly hitting their skin. The earth made them jump as the meteor landed.

"Damn rocks" she muttered under her breath, scampering back over to Noel. He still wasn't paying attention to her, but he was happy, and she decided to keep it like that. She slid her notepad out of pocket and began to write the things she noticed about him; he was jumpy when things were flying towards him, and his Houndoom was amused and enjoyed watching him move back and forth. Then she took a high-end camera out of her bag and took a picture of him, shaking her head while doing it. The picture was printed after being taken and she blew at the wet ink, then took some tape and taped it to her notebook under the notes she wrote.

"Alta! Put that damn notebook away and watch these things go!" He said from a few feet away, attempting to catch one of the hot rocks.

"But—" she started,

"No excuses! Get your ass over here!"

She looked at her notepad, shrugged, and left it to sit on the ground while she attempted to grab meteorites with him. She came close several times but wasn't stupid enough to actually _catch _them, unlike Noel who ended up burning his hand at the first rock. She laughed and held his hand, and it was surprisingly refreshing, mostly because her hands were cold in contrast to his burnt hand.

And of course she was blushing, but he didn't notice.

Minutes later, several groups of people with bright blue hair in lab coats began to scan the meteorites that had landed. Noel and Alta's hands parted when he realized who the people were, and quickly dragged her to a safe end of the park behind some trees.

"Umm...I don't mean to be rude, but why did you choose here to watch the meteorites fall?" she inquired.

"Shh...It's your relatives..." he shushed her.

"That's insulting." she snapped, "Just because we have the same hair color does not mean we are related!"

"You should try using conjunctions; they shorten you're sentences." he replied shortly, "Those people are _Team Galactic_. Don't you recognize the hairdos?"

"...I do not judge" she shrugged.

"We need to get out of here," he replied, "Besides, it's getting late. Where's your room?"

Her face began to resemble a tomato as she tapped her fingers together nervously, "Well, I was going to save myself the trouble by waiting in a tree for you and Kara to fall asleep, then I was going to break into Nurse Joy's room and get the key for your room, then I was going to watch you sleep for half an hour, and if I had any hours left, I was going to take the free bunk and sleep in your room...if that's alright with you."

"No, that's _not_ alright with me!" he wailed, "That's downright creepy!"

"Kara seemed alright with it last time! On her way to the bathroom in the middle of the night she said 'I don't care if you sleep here, as long as you're gone by the time I wake up'!"

He just continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "There was a _last _time?"

"Yes, in Hearthome. I woke up at strictly 6 am so you would not know I was there."

"...You know what? Let me save you the trouble this time and let you sleep in our room tonight. But you're sleeping on _Kara's _free bunk."

She just grinned in return, then the two silently left the park away from Team Galactic.

But just as they left...

"Report" The purple-haired woman said to one of the scientists researching a meteorite.

"The meteorites are linked, they glow when we set up the equipment" the scientist reported.

"Good." the woman smirked, "Begin the ope—"

"Stop!" a periwinkle haired woman in a black cape marched over to them, a scowl on her face. "Jupiter, I said to wait for me before starting!"

"I'm sorry your highness, but we need to get a move on." Jupiter deadpanned.

"Shut it!" Neptune growled, "I'll have you demoted if you speak to me like that again! We'll shave your hair and dye it blue! So shut it!" Jupiter scowled but complied, backing up so she wouldn't be in the way. "So, what's going on here?"

"Well, while _you _were at the casino, the rest of the crew has scanned the meteorites, and many of them believe them to be connected to Dialga and Palkia. On your signal, they will begin to collect the meteorites before the police arrive." Jupiter summed up.

"That's all you've got?" Neptune scoffed, "Saturn found the spirit that might be linked to Azelf. You fail. I'm spending your paycheck on shoes...Now start the operation" she said, flicking her hand in the direction of the meteorites. Jupiter growled and ordered the rest to take care of the meteorites. Neptune walked around, spotting a forgotten notepad on the ground. She motion Jupiter over. "Hey, do you know what this is?"

"I'm not sure, it's just a notepad." she replied.

"Let's see...Noel...Kara...one ribbon two badges...obsessed with ice cream..." Neptune read the rest of the notepad silently, her mouth twitching at parts where she just wanted to laugh. She tossed it at Jupiter, who hastily caught it. "Lock this up a headquarters; I think it might be useful."

"_Think _being the highly exaggerated word..." Jupiter muttered while walking away, stuffing the notepad in her pocket.

* * *

**Aww. Poor Noel and his conflicting personality. Hope you have a great Halloween :D**


	34. Homesick

**Thanks to bubbles and pokefan101 for reviewing last chapter :3**

**Reminders:**

_Guy 1: Pink haired, considers himself a 'gangster' and has a twin. He has an Exploud, Magnezone, and a newly evolved Vespiquen that freaks Kara out.  
Girl 1: Periwinkle haired, 21, co-admin for Team Galactic. Has a Togekiss that is scared of her._

**Also, I have changed pokemon speech to italics to make it easier to read :D**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 27**  
Homesick

* * *

"_DAY 21 (July 29__th__ to be exact)_

"_It has become tense between Noel and me Tasha...I'M NEVER TALKING TO HIM AGAIN! That donkey. Last night Kalib tried to eat dinner with us, and what did Noel do? He told his Houndoom to burn his nose ring. And it actually happened. So now Kalib has two-degree burns on his nose! You know Maylene, the gym leader of Veilstone? He has a bandage across his nose now, just like her. Noel has some problems. Goodness._

"_BUT! Noel went 'off' into the night somewhere, and I had found Kalib shuffling around outside, trying to figure out how far his Magnezone's Mirror Shot would go straight up in the air. Sorry, am I boring you? It was fun for me! We kept having to dodge silver glowing bullets for half an hour! Then meteors started falling and the Mirror Shots hit them, making EXPLOSIONS in the sky! And the explosions made me think of Lale and how she exploded me into a fire hydrant yesterday._

"_Sigh. I miss her. _

"_Err...in other words; I've finally called Uncle Lucian to set me up to get my licenses, which will be after the day of the contest/gym battle at GHQ in the northeast part of town. Also, he said to meet him at the Lake Valor Resort on the 2__nd__. _

"_There goes my birthday plans -.-"_

Kara exited her room, making note that Alta, Noel's super-fan and stalker, was sleeping in that bunk above hers. She shook her head, not even wanting to know. Whatever was his business, was his business. Their relationship was strictly business.

If only she had remember that the past twenty days.

She rounded the lobby seconds later, inspecting her pokébelt on the way there. Why did she have the feeling that one of her pokémon tried to run away last night? Maybe Lale's escape made her more self conscious around them. Her ears perked up when she heard her name faintly called by the nurse at the receptionist desk.

"Yes?" she responded, looking up. _WHOA, when did I get to the lobby? _

"You've received a package from Sunyshore City." the nurse said.

"But I thought you said everything was under lockdown from the blackout" she said absentmindedly, coming up to the red desk.

"It was sent a day before the blackout," the nurse replied, "Please sign here while I get it." Kara signed for her package, then attempted to look into the backroom to see why they were taking so long. There was a loud _THUD_, and she jumped in surprise and tried to get a better look. Luckily for her, the nurse returned from the back room with a shopping cart wheeling in a large box.

"...Are you sure that's for _me_?"

"It is" the nurse said, and gave her the shopping cart.

"What's that?" a familiar voice said, coming around the back doors. It was Kalib, his Magnezone following behind him.

"It's a package from my hometown...and you know you can't be around me anymore." she muttered, looking around.

He laughed, "Oh calm down, Noel isn't even here. Oh; good news! We finally got Mirror Shot up really high, and it reflected with the sun, blinding THREE Starly's! Ha! I can't wait to tell Cody! I mean Shawn" he quickly corrected himself.

"Still heard it," she chuckled, "When will you face the fact that you miss Cody? And that you still want to be friends with him?"

"You know nothing." He said darkly, turning away from her. She scowled at the cold shoulder.

"Jeez, I was just saying..." she muttered, "Can I borrow your Magnezone? I can't open this stupid thing." she hit the top of her package, wishing she could get around the tape and open it already.

"Hold on, I got a blade on me..." he muttered, going through his front pockets. She lifted an eyebrow at him, and he caught her face and said, "Oh chill, it's a utility knife! How else am I going to cut the food on the road?"

"Yeah yeah just open the box already..." she muttered. He continued to search his person, muttering 'I swear I had it on me...' then a light bulb went off in his head and he went into the inside pockets of his leather jacket. He pulled out an item with different compartments accessible by a switch on the side. He pulled a blade onto the utility knife and ripped through the tape, pulling up the box sides.

"Hey, I see a birthday card!" He said, taking the envelope off the top. He tossed it to her since he couldn't make out the contents of the rest of the box.

"Oh, it's from my parents," she muttered, ripping open the envelope. She tossed the paper aside to look at the card. '_Miss you, our Slowking and Ninetails keep staring at the door waiting for your return! Hope you're having a good time, Noel too! Please be safe, and we know you're in Veilstone so don't be afraid to stop by! We're only hours away! We hope your birthday is great and inexpensive. Happy Birthday Kara! Love, Household (with a Slowking and Ninetails paw print stamped at the bottom)'_

"Hey...are you okay?"

Her head snapped up, looking at Kalib through stray watery eyes. She hadn't even realized she was bawling. "Wh—why? I'm fine!" she said, wiping her eyes, although she winced when she touched one of her contacts. He shook his head, swapping knowing looks with his pokémon. Of course she wasn't fine. People don't just look at letters and start crying; unless it's _really _blinding paper.

"So what's in the box?" he inquired. She shrugged and touched the top of the item, recognizing it to be a lid. She attempted to lift it up, but the object was almost thirty pounds alone. "Ooh, I got this" he said, and released his Exploud out of its pokéball. "Careful man, I think it's fragile!" he said to his pokémon as it slowly lifted the object out of the box, placing it on the ground. Kara gasped, realizing immediately that it was a jar full of sand—and not just ordinary sand—Sunyshore sand.

"Oh God! Its Sunyshore sand!" she cried, twisting the lid off, "I can't believe they got me such a big jar!" It was true—the jar was no mere mayonnaise jar—no, it was a giant nut jar, free of nuts and filled with white sand. She fingered through the sand, sighing. "Man, it feels like home..." again, her eyes began to water.

"Aww, homesick?" he cooed playfully. She glared at him and closed the lid, seeing Nurse Joy didn't like having dirt on the ground, no matter how much it brought memories back.

"Oh shush...I bet that a bundle of Floaroma flowers would get you missing home..." she muttered, picking up the jar. Her eyes widened, knowing it was far too heavy to carry herself, and pointed at Kalib's Exploud, then her jar, then gestured for it to pick the jar back up.

"Dammit no, I was sick of home, and I still am with my twin still wearing those flowers in his hair," he cringed, "I've had enough of home."

"Well not me," she said, "I wasn't even _planning _on starting my journey yet. I wanted to at least get through high school first...but then my uncle found Noel, and insisted we leave immediately," she sighed, walking towards the center doors, both of them following her, "I miss home so much."

"You're such a baby" he scoffed, "You could've said no."

"I didn't want to disappoint them..." she muttered, "They were so proud to see me leave and fulfill my pokémon journey. My parents never had a chance to do it; they had to support their families."

As touching as it was, Noel had to ruin it by emerging from the hallway. Kalib cursed and ran out the center doors, and she swapped looks with his Exploud, and both shrugged. He probably didn't want another part of his body burned.

"Hey, what's that? Where ya going?" Noel asked, strolling over to them. "And what's _Kalib's_ Exploud doing here?" his eyes narrowed, looking around for the pink head, but found none of it.

"Sunyshore sand, Golf Cart, and he's carrying it." she answered in order, "And it's a birthday present, if you were wondering."

"Oh cool, sand! Makes me miss home..." he smiled, uncapping the jar and sifting his fingers through the sand.

"Umm...you wouldn't mind if we made a pit stop at Sunyshore, would you?" she asked quietly, already predicting the answer.

"No..." and there it was. "I've learned that the longer you stray from your journey by visiting home, the longer it takes for you to part with them. It'd be better if we just stay away from home." he shrugged, "Oh, and this sand is going to make the cart too heavy. Maybe you should get a littler jar...like a vanilla extract jar." and everyone knows how tiny those are.

"No!" she protested, "This is the only thing that brings me back home! I can't just get rid of it!"

"We have to think practically Kara; it's either the sand jar or the water jug."

"WELL..."

"No." he deadpanned. She decided to ignore him and motioned for Exploud to follow her to the cart; if he wanted to battle her for space, then he better use a sword and other sharp objects, because nothing was going to tear her away from her only memory of home.

* * *

It was soon afternoon, with Kara sitting in a circle with her pokémon in the back of the center, her jar of Sunyshore sand sitting in her lap. She continuously sighed while shuffling her arm through the sand, her vision shifting from her sand from home to the empty spot between her Buneary and Luxio.

"_What are we going to do about Lale?" _Emp questioned, knowing his trainer was incapable of speaking with her thoughts clouding her brain at the moment.

"_What CAN we do_?" Lun scoffed, "_She's gone. Drifted. Poof. I hardly think we should do anything." _the Prinplup glared at her from across the circle.

"_We should dig a tunnel!" _Shina suggested. The two other pokémon turned to her, expecting more.

"_...And?_" Lun said.

"_That's all I've got..." _the Luxio whimpered, hiding her eyes with her paws and swishing her tail around.

"_Sheesh, this team is so dysfunctional. Lale was right to leave." _Lun scoffed, staring at her reflection in the sand jar.

"_Shut up Lun, we are NOT dysfunctional! We're perfectly fine!" _Emp argued.

"_Wow, defending our trainer this time? That's a first." _she replied.

"_I've got another idea!" _Shina piped, lifting her head from her paws, "_And this time its full proof!"_

"_She's bluffing; she got nothin'." _Lun deadpanned, twisting her ears together so she wouldn't hear the plan that was doomed to fail.

"_Go ahead then._" Emp said, gesturing with his wing.

"_We should get Hound to sniff her out with an item she's recently used! Like the Splash Plate!"_

The Buneary began to roll in the sand whilst scoffing, "_Pfft, you just want to see him again." _Shina blushed and began to deny everything in a high-pitched voice, shaking her head and covering her large ears with her paws.

"_That may be true, but it's a good plan." _Emp said, getting off his butt, "_Where does Kara keep the Splash Plate? She's sorta useless at the moment." _the three pokémon looked up at their trainer, who was still muttering things while playing with the sand, a lost look in her grey eyes.

"_Let me check her bag" _Lun volunteered, hopping over to the bag on her trainer's side.

"_You're just getting the mirror!" _Shina accused, and was right because the only thing that the Buneary took from the bag was a compact square mirror. Emp shuffled through the bag and pulled out the blue plate, which unsurprisingly made his water moves feel stronger.

"_Shina, go get Hound's pokéball._" Emp ordered, dragging the plate to the middle of their broken circle. The Luxio yipped and hopped up, then scurried into the 'center in search for Noel. Seconds later she returned with a pokéball in her teeth. She dropped it in Kara's lap, and the human just boredly released the pokémon from its ball, probably only listening to half the conversation.

"_...SAND! YES" _the Houndoom started rolling in the sand on the ground.

Emp and Shina swapped looks.

"_Hound...stop rolling for a second and hear what we have to say." _the Luxio said calmly, trying to stop him from rolling.

"_Yeah, yeah, what ya have in mind?" _He replied, stopping on his all fours.

"_We need to track down Lale's location. Sniff this." _Emp said, dropping the plate in front of the devil pokémon.

"_Hmm. A plate. And no food...tsk tsk." _Hound muttered, bringing his nose down to the item, "_Hmm...water...penguin...chocolate...and stale Lombre, about a few days old or so..."_

"_Is he on to something? I can't tell." _Shina deadpanned.

"_There's a lot of smells mixed in with this plate though!" _Hound argued, "_I can smell the Lombre and...OOH OOH! I picked up her scent! Eew. She hasn't taken a shower in days."_

"_Doesn't matter! We finally found her!" _Shina squealed, tackling the Houndoom. He groaned and struggled to get out from under her.

"_Ah! Get off! I'm losing the scent!" _Hound growled. The Luxio immediately hopped off, then turned to her trainer. Kara looked up from her sand, and seconds later her Luxio had returned with a dog leash in her teeth.

"Oh hey...my leash...I completely forgot I was carrying that in my suitcase. Why did you...?" she looked at her pokémon with a lifted eyebrow. Shina barked and pulled the leash over her head, then dropped the other end in her trainers lap. "Oh really, a walk? Noel would never..." her pokémon pointed to Noel's Houndoom with her tail, and she 'oh'd. "Let's pass by Noel and tell him then. Emp, watch my sand...and Lun." she said to her other pokémon. The others nodded and the three left.

After Noel allowed her to roam the streets with his Houndoom, Kara and the rest were off to wherever. Hound continued to sniff the ground in front of them for a scent of her Lombre, momentarily crossing the alley where Team Galactic had ambushed them last night. They quickly fled that area and continued to search.

Later they finally reached a place where the scent was ridiculously strong, and for some reason it was the doorstep of GHQ. The building was tall, shadowed by itself as the sun was directly behind it, and had the creepy factor of 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.

"Why are we here...my appointment isn't till Saturday." Kara muttered, aware that it was still Thursday, 29th of July.

"_Lale is in there, I'm sure of it!" _Hound barked.

"Just because you're based on a dog doesn't mean you are one..." she muttered, "I don't trust your nose." she received a growl in response. The three continued to stare at the building, as if their Lombre friend would just walk through the door as if everything was fine.

"LUX!" cried out her pokémon, she snapped her neck to the left, gasping when she saw her Luxio getting hauled away by the evil periwinkle woman named Neptune. Neptune was on her poor Togekiss, already having the young Luxio in a nifty little cage.

"Shina!" Kara whined, "Why do you keep taking my pokémon?"

"It's a business sweetie! Deal with it!" Neptune laughed,

"_No_! I won't let you have _any _more of my pokémon!" Kara protested, whipping out her pokédex.

"Ooh, technology, what are you going to do, scan me?" Neptune taunted.

"Uh, no!" Kara quickly read the lines on her pokédex, "Quick Hound, use Thunder Fang!" the Houndoom leapt up in the air, fang bared with electricity,

"Up Togekiss!" Neptune commanded, and her pokémon flew up higher so that Hound couldn't reach. "Now Sky Attack on them!" the insane woman smirked, and her Togekiss was hesitant but could do nothing but obey. It began to glow with blinding light—

"Hound use Flamethrower!" Kara countered as the Togekiss and passengers barged towards them, the front fiery like a comet and the tail creating a rainbow. It was so beautiful, distracting both of them, and not even realizing that it was coming towards them till they felt the heat of the attack. Kara ducked as well as Hound, whose attack never went through, and lost all hope when the attackers fled far into the sky. There was no way they could keep the battle up.

"I can't believe we lost Shina too..." she sighed, almost ready to breakdown right there. "If I was still home, this wouldn't be happening..."

* * *

**Erm, I forgot what I was gonna say...OH! I'm being dragged to Homecoming by Ravenn, you know, the shopoholic. She's not a model in real life tho -.- thats what she _wishes _she was...**

**Also, don't mind giving me constructive critism in a review :D see ya next Friday!**


	35. La Vida de Las Vegas

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 28**  
La Vida de Las Vegas

* * *

"_DAY 21, AGAIN!_

"_That's it Tasha, I'm through! I'm through with my pokémon being taken and me never knowing a damn! God I hate swearing, glad this is just words typed and so on. But I can't take this! I want my pokémon, they're MINE! I'm not going to continue going on, letting Team Galactic nab each and every one of my pokémon! I'm going to the highest authority of the land to help me save my pokémon!...So Noel!"_

"NOEL!" the dark haired girl shrieked as she stormed into the pokémon center, Houndoom trailing behind her. The pokémon center was more or less empty, save for the few or so trainers just relaxing from an exhausting training session. Some of these people happen to be Kalib and his twin Shawn, who looked up when they saw the girl rage in. Kara confronted Noel who was just watching TV, and his lazy expression made her angry expression soften.

_Wait...what am I doing? Noel wouldn't care._

"...What?" Noel looked up at her through bored green eyes. It was obvious that if he didn't have a badge to chase, then there was nothing to do.

"Umm...nothing." She muttered. "Here's your Houndoom back." She hated being scared, but she didn't know what to do anymore. Even if she _did _tell Noel, what could he do? He was only 15, granted only a few months away from a birthday. He had strong pokémon, but the numbers that Team Galactic gathers could simply overpower him with a flick of a finger. If she wanted her pokémon back, she would have to assemble an army.

"Fine." He nodded and waved her off, seeing she didn't enjoy Thursday afternoon football as much as he and his Turtwig did.

_And so goes plan A. _She sighed and headed for the backdoors, smiling when she found her only two pokémon, still there guarding the sand with their lives. She didn't know what she was thinking, just leaving them here by themselves. She came over to them, collapsing onto the ground and looking back into the sand jar. They looked at her expectantly.

"We uh...lost Shina too." She muttered. Her pokémon's faces of horror made her hide herself in her hair. "I'm sorry!" She cried, "Th-the lady with the cape took her! I couldn't even get her back!" Emporor shook his head in disapproval, while Lunybuny just patted her shoulder with her ear reassuringly. _I can't believe we're falling apart...all over a stupid red jacket..._

"Hey now! No sobbing! It's par-tay time!"

The three's heads shot up at the sound of the familiar high-pitched squeal. They turned to Shawn, Kalib's pink haired twin, whose leather jacket was short sleeved with a multitude of buttons going down the torso. He was also wearing skinny jeans.

"Umm...what?" she looked at him confusedly.

"Come on girlfriend, we gonna party till the sun don't come up!"

She continued to stare at him in confusion, as if he spoke in some whole other language. She turned to the door behind Shawn, where Kalib emerged with an irritated face.

"I swear, mom always wanted you to come out a girl." he muttered, slapping his twin in the back of the head. Shawn scowled and moved aside for his brother. "So are you coming with us tonight?" Kalib inquired, leaning on the shoddy exterior of the 'Center.

"Umm...coming where?" She answered with another question, unconsciously sifting her hands through her sand. The guys both watched her with the sand with lifted eyebrows but decided not to question that.

"We're heading to the Casino tonight to get your mind off home," He answered, "How am I supposed to count on you tomorrow if you're in a slump?"

"Uhh...that's a great idea and all, but we're under aged and stuff..." She muttered, wanting so desperately to get out of whatever scheme they had in mind, "Casino is only open to 17 and under before 6 pm."

"We know that~" Shawn chirped.

"We got your cousin to get us in." Kalib explained.

"...WHAT?" Kara gaped.

"Yeah! We contacted your cousin Alan who's got blackmail on the bouncer. Why didn't you tell us you had family here too?" Shawn inquired, placing a hand on his hip.

"I-um..." She stuttered, looking downwards, _Damn! How'd they find Alan? I mean, he IS Mary's brother, and compared to her, he's like the ANTI perfect dude...and he still carries around that BB gun. _"So uhh...how do you know him?"

Kalib shrugged, "Met him on Xbox live a few months ago."

"Eew, you're both Halo fanatics..." she muttered.

"So are you in?" He inquired. Both his and his brother's stare freaked her out. She stared at the sand, narrowing her eyes at it. She knew she had to say no, but everything she loved was disappearing and she wanted to get away from it; something the two were offering. One night couldn't hurt.

"Fine." she nodded, and Shawn 'whoopee!'d.

"Awesomeness! What's your dress size, I'm goin' shoppin' for you! Wait, it's medium right? Then you're gettin' a small! Woo!" with that, Shawn sped towards the mall.

"Umm...why is he getting me a dress? I still need a contest costume..." she muttered.

"Let him be him, he enjoys buying things for girls." Kalib shrugged.

"Weird, he and my friend Ravenn would be the _best _couple." she laughed, "So uhh...then tonight?"

"Yeah, Shawn will deliver your dress later. I'm sure you could look like a short 21 year old!" he replied, to which she scowled, "Come at 7, no strings attached."

"...What does that mean exactly?" She lifted an eyebrow, cause the way he said it implied something dirty.

"It means no Noel, no pokémon. Just yourself and a thirst to gamble" He smirked, then left into the building. She lifted an eyebrow, still wondering what he meant by that, then turned to her pokémon, who were just sitting awkwardly on the ground. She got up onto her feet, looking up at the clouds.

_Jesus, what kind of life am I leading anymore? _She looked back at her jar of sand, narrowing her eyes again. _No strings attached; that means family ties too. _She looked at the large tall jar of sand one more time, then kicked it over, allowing half the contents to spill on the ground. She looked over at her pokémon, who were scared to meet her eyes.

"Come on guys; let's go waste some time and battle someone." she muttered, heading to the battlefields, wondering what demon was tainting her.

* * *

"NOOOO!" Noel roared as his football team lost the game. The nurse at the counter shushed him, but he was too upset to pay attention. He picked up his Turtwig, taking it and hugging it while fake weeping. "Why Rex? Why? Why'd we hafta _lose_?"

"Ahem"

Both looked up, facing Kara with her hands behind her back.

"Hola" she smiled.

"...Yes?" he wondered what she needed this time.

"Umm...my cousins invited me to dinner tonight at their house on the outskirts of Veilstone...would it be okay if I went?" she inquired.

"Sure, want me to drop you off there?"

Her eyes widened, "N-no! It's fine! I know where they are, I'll just take the bus."

"Oh cool" he said, "What time are you leaving?"

"Umm...around 7." she answered, shifting her feet around. He nodded and she went off, her confused two pokémon on her heels. He swapped looks with Rex, who also shrugged. The two looked back at the TV, where they were showing commercials for some product.

"You are so naïve..." muttered a familiar voice behind him. He whipped around, unsurprisingly finding Alta leaning on his headrest. He moved over, but she didn't take the hint and continued to lean on the couch.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"She's not going to her cousins...she's going somewhere else. I'm sure you can tell by her dislike of family that the last thing she wants to do is see them." She answered in monotone.

"Whatever you say," he rolled his eyes, "I'll send my Houndoom after her later. So uhh...did you sleep well?"

Her face reddened, but she kept her cool. "Yes. Thank you for sharing your room."

"No problem but...did you use my comb?"

She went all shifty eyes on him. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"I don't leave ridiculously long bright blue hair on it, that's why." he deadpanned.

"Heh...SO Noel, how about a battle? Haven't had one since Kanto. How 'bout it? One on one. What could it hurt?" she offered, swinging around nervously.

He smirked, hopping out of his seat, "A challenge from _you_? Finally. Now I can beat your ass appropriately."

She cocked her head to the side, not certain about the message between the sentence. Was he being serious or was it just banter? She stared at his Turtwig as it followed him to the outdoors, out to the battlefields. She followed behind, momentarily taking time to notice the jar of sand knocked onto the ground. Afterwards she ran over to the battlefield where Noel waited with a pokéball bouncing up and down in his hands.

"So one on one right?" he inquired.

"Yes...why don't you let your little Turtwig battle? He never gets experience." she said as she arrived on her side of the field.

"Nah, if I did that then he'd get beaten ruthlessly...I'm smart Alta, don't doubt it." he teased, taking a quick look at his Turtwig to see that none of those words registered.

"I've been watching you for a while, I know your intelligence..." she muttered to herself, and took a pokéball out of her pocket. "Gyarados lets go!" she tossed it up, releasing a giant water snake from the insides.

Noel blinked, craning his head upwards to see the face of the beast. "Well. That's unexpected. Last time I heard of this one it was a Magikarp...and you were obsessed to see it evolve."

"You should've never doubted me." Alta shrugged.

"I guess so." he muttered, and tossed up the pokéball that was in his hand, his devil dog materializing from the beam that shot out of it.

"You're kidding right?"

"Don't doubt me either!" he replied, "Hound use Flamethrower!" the Houndoom dug its paws into the ground, then roared out feet of flames at the water snake. Gyarados merrily moved its limbs to the side to dodge the attack. Noel grimaced and began to search for strategies in his pokédex.

"Giving in already? How did you get that far in the Kanto League?" she muttered, "Gyarados, a Hydro Pump!"

"Dodge with Faint Attack!" he countered quickly. Hound disappeared in a flash, missing the jet of water aimed at him, and became a transparent shadow as he climbed up Gyarados' scales, then struck it in the jaw. He clambered onto its head, making the sea serpent begin to shake its head vigorously, attempting to get him off.

"Thunder! On _yourself_!" Alta commanded, "And hold that dog down with your tendrils!"

"Hound, hurry and move!" Noel yelled frantically. Hound was stuck—Gyarados' tendrils, the arm things found under his mouth, tied him down like a jellyfish would, and the clouds above them cracked threateningly. "Hurry! Use um—Thunder Fang on the tendrils!"

"Hurry and release him!" it was Alta's turn to be worried, but it was too late—Hound sunk his cackling teeth into a tendril, making them both fly up, then jumped off the head just as lightning struck down from the sky. Gyarados was caught in its own attack. And now, with the damage from Thunder Fang and Thunder, the mighty water snake fell.

"...Wow, that was pretty short. Usually our battles last more than 200 words." Noel muttered, "Great job Hound! You da' man!" his pokémon smirked, then allowed himself to be sucked back into the pokéball. Noel rushed over to Alta and her Gyarados, seeing she didn't want to return it, which probably meant that something was wrong. "Did the electricity hurt it too much?"

"First off; it's a _she_," Alta corrected, "And Gyarados is half water and flying, so both those moves have completely paralyzed her. It might take a few days to recover..."

"That won't be a problem...right?"

"It _is_ a problem." she shot back, "She was going to be used in tomorrow's contest! Now I need to do training." she returned her pokémon back into its ball. "Excuse me." With that, she left.

He turned back around to his Turtwig, who had fled into the safety of his shell.  
He crept up to his pokémon, then nudged it with his foot. "Hey...Hey you weren't sleeping were you?"

The shell shook and Rex's stuck his head out, minus the eyes. "_Lightning scares me._"

* * *

After dinner, Kara was engaged into a heavily important discussion with her friend Ravenn, a teen model who was currently spending her evening in the Sevii Islands. Kara's face was red, but obviously Ravenn couldn't see because they weren't video chatting. Apparently that wasn't on their phone plan, seeing they both had the same one.

"And you could've just..." Ravenn started,

"No! No! No!" Kara kept repeating, trying to cap her ears with her hands to prevent herself from hearing more, "I _know _he was an angel! I KNOW IT! Don't you and my cousin try to taint me with your lies!"

"But he looks nothing like—"

"Yes he _does_! You just can't see it like I do!"

This argument went on for several more seconds before someone knocked on the door.

"Hold on Ravenn, someone lost their room key." Kara deadpanned, then got up and pulled the door open, honestly expecting Noel. Her eyebrows shot up when she recognized her visitor; it was Cody, puce haired Cody with the leather jacket and choker, AKA Kayla's boyfriend. "Uhh...hi?" she kept her eyes away from his face and looked down to what was in his hands; a hanger with an ensemble hanging from it no doubt, but the item was covered in a black bag so she couldn't get a glance of it.

"Delivery" he sang, holding up the item.

"You're not Shawn..." she accused, remembering good and well that Kalib's brother was the one who forced her to wear certain clothes, not him.

"I'm not God either, but I can see how you'd make that mistake." he stated, sauntering in past her and dropping the item onto one of the bunk beds.

She lifted any eyebrow that wasn't already high up in the sky. "...WOW, that was really bad." she gave him a pity laugh for whatever joke he had just made.

"Actually, I'm _always_ good." he replied, wiggling his eyebrows towards the bunk beds.

"Okay, eew, get out." She said, pushing him towards the door. "You have a girlfriend remember? Oh that's right; no boundaries."

"Right, so does that mean I can stay here while you change? I saw the dress; I see Shawn made it 5 sizes smaller again." he said, trying to resist her force.

"No!" she shrieked in a high pitched voice, "Get _out_!"

"Ugh, fine, is that any way to treat someone who's coming with you to the casino tonight?" he asked, refusing to move from the doorway.

She froze. "..._WHAT_?"

"Yeah, I heard about your little break in...it'd be cool if I tagged along."

"No it wouldn't!" She whined.

"Why not?"

"Because—" She frowned, unable to come up with a good excuse. She would have accepted his tag along, only the problem was that she feared he would make some kind of advancement on her, and the last thing she wanted was that and her face to be ripped apart by Kayla's demon nails. She sighed, wondering how much further her day would spiral. "...Fine. I guess you can come. I hope you told Kalib though"

"Didn't have to; I ran into Shawn at the mall and he was _ecstatic_, which isn't a surprise because he's always like that whenever he makes a purchase." he shrugged, "I'll be out in the hallway when you're done; Shawn wanted me to take you there in case that thing with Kalib happens again."

"Great, does everyone in Sinnoh know about that now?" She scoffed, then ripped off the bag that hid her dress and stared at it. "...SERIOUSLY? This is worse than the Homecoming dress Ravenn forced me into last year!"

Cody laughed at her expense and shut the door.

* * *

After a short walk from 'Center, the duo reached the casino. It was almost like a blockbuster movie premiere—twinkling lights, long lines of people in skanky clothing, and the occasional person running out the building with a suspicious wad of cash in their pockets. The duo met with Shawn and Kalib, who were standing in the front with a fidgety bouncer who was previously checking IDs. Kara's cousin, who's description was limited because it was dark out, whispered the deal to the bouncer who nodded and let the teens in.

"What the hell are _you _doing here?" he asked her as she passed him to the door.

"Just uh...having fun." she shrugged, "Don't tell anyone please?"

"Whatever, I'm not supposed to be here anyway." he muttered in response, and dashed out the parking lot. She watched him disappear before entering the casino, getting whiplashed at the smell of hotel lobbies and fine wine.

She shook her head, quickly getting used to the smell, and looked around. The rug was green and she was on the top level, where it lowered into a second level for blackjack and craps and other table games. ATMs and slot machines lined one wall while a bar and tables lined the other. She searched around for the guys, finding them at the slot machines. Strangely Kalib took the one farthest from Cody...

"Hey, how long are we staying here?" She asked Kalib in a soft voice as she watched him lose on the slot machine.

"Relax, we just got here!" He laughed.

"But...I feel kind of guilty being here..." She muttered, fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

"Ugh, don't preach to me, go bug someone else." He waved her off. She scowled and parted him to the ATMs, logging into her account. She took out about a fourth and stuck it into her jacket pocket, then went shifty eyes to make sure the guys weren't watching her. Nope. She was on her own. She smirked and strode over to a blackjack table.

The dealer shuffled his cards, looking around at the opponents. He turned to Kara, seeing she looked the youngest of all of them. "How much you putting down lil' lady?"

She grimaced at the nickname and slammed down a thousand dollars. All the people at the table looked at her with wide eyes, because obviously to everyone a thousand dollars was a lot of money. It was, even to her, but she wanted to forget about her troubles and gamble it all.

"Well, that's a lot lil' lady, you sure you want to do that?" he inquired, slapping down the appropriate amount of chips on her bills.

"I'm sure." She replied, waiting patiently for her cards. One of the four other opponents left, scared to lose their money to her, while two others put down only a hundred. The last one, a man with a huge diamond on his pinky, made the craziest challenge and put down a thousand dollars too.

The dealer shrugged and passed the cards out, and Kara inspected hers; a Swampert and a Marshtomp, which were both face cards. _I have 20. _She concluded, and looked over to the dealer's cards, which was a five and another faced down. A shoulder came down on her hand and she jumped.

"Hey, I didn't know you played blackjack." Cody said from her right.

"My friends and I used to always play it in middle school." she shrugged, "We bet on purses...coins...future boyfriends..."

Cody grinned, "Can _my _name be added to the list?"

"I might lose on purpose if that was the case." she muttered. The dealer finally came to her, and she looked at the others to see that the rich guy had busted and the others had low numbers in the 15's and 16's. _Were they scared to risk it? _She wondered. "Umm...hit."

"No Kara!" Cody said, but she shushed him and waited for her next card. An ace landed on top her face cards.

"Bust." the dealer declared.

"Um, no, it's an ace;" she said, "They can be 1's or 11's. I choose it to be a 1, so I get 21 Blackjack."

The dealer glared at her, probably only a few years older than her, and paid her out since she had automatically won. Cody gaped at her doubled money.

"WHOA! When did you get so good at this game?"

"Practice." she shrugged with a smile, claiming her chips. She looked up momentarily to the bar, frowning when spotting Kalib there. He was downing some heavy stuff, or so it looked like from her spot. Her stomach twisted uneasily as she continued the next round, already hating whatever might happen next if he became drunk.

* * *

"You cheated! Cheated! You totally cheated!" Noel whined, slamming his cards down childishly. Like Kara, he was playing a game including cards, except he was playing with his and Alta's pokémon, minus the Gyarados because it couldn't pick up cards. The group was in a circle, betted items in the middle. His Blastoise and Turtwig were once again working the game by switching cards with each other within their shells, yet no one noticed.

"_Oh calm down, you'll win...later._" His Blastoise said, waving it off with his large blue paw.

"_Big Daddy gotta pay da bills!_" Rex squealed, clapping his stubs together.

"_You both are cheating, I know it._" Alta's Froslass said, _"Don't make me freeze the answers out of you."_

"_Big Daddy I'm scared!" _Rex squealed, withdrawing into his shell. Poker chips fell out of the leg holes.

"_I knew it! Cheaters!" _growled Alta's Altaria, who was threatening to eat them both with her sharpened beak.

"_...I wish we could go one round of poker without cheating and death threats._" Kado muttered, shuffling the cards around, "_Master, do you wish to play the next round?"_

Noel shook his head, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Nah, I'm gonna go check on Genji." his pokémon's faces instantly dropped at the name of their female friend. "Has anyone seen where Hound went?"

"_You sent him after Kara._" his Blastoise answered, moving his cards around in his thick hands.

"Right." Noel remembered, "Be back soon guys."

The pokémon grunted in response and continued the game of poker.

* * *

It was becoming heated. The dealer was sweating, and the dark haired girl was playing with the extra chips that she'd won. If she decided to trade in her chips, she'd get almost six thousand bucks, and the dealer knew that if he lost anymore of his table money to one customer, he'd be in serious trouble.

"Are you sure you're not cheating?" the dealer inquired, shuffling his cards.

"You can't cheat with those cards." Kara pointed out.

"Just give the girl her cards!" Kalib groaned, holding a cup of liquor. The dealer made note that this was his third bottle, and the female who was probably sober had too much club money.

"So how much are you betting this time?" the dealer inquired, noticing that no one else wanted to play at his table.

"Hmm..." Kara checked her PokéGear for the time; almost nine, and she was sure that Noel was getting suspicious. How long does dinner usually go on anyway? She shook her head, remembering the reason why she came here; to get away from it all. She shoved all her chips onto the betting box, making Shawn, who was next to the dealer, gasp dramatically.

"Are you sure?" the dealer smirked.

"Yeah, now give me my cards please." She replied boredly. Why does it take him ten minutes to shuffling the cards?

"Hurry up man, gotta wiz!" Kalib yelled, swinging his bottle around. Kara and Shawn inched away from him...

"Alright, here you go." the dealer slapped one card down; a 2, and the second one; a face card.

"Cheated!" Kalib yelled in desperation.

"...Maybe you should sit down." Kara said to him, and he shook his head before spinning around dizzily. Shawn shook his head and took his twin away. She looked back down to her cards. "Umm...hit." Her next card was a 7.

"That would be a 19." the dealer smirked, shuffling his cards around.

"I can count, thank you" she muttered, "Hit."

"Are you sure?" the dealer inquired.

"YES. NOW HIT ALREADY." she deadpanned. The dealer slid the card up to his eye level, shook his head, and shuffled again. Unfortunately for him, she noticed. "Hey! You can't do that!"

Satisfied with the card, the dealer tossed her next card down. She flipped it over, a face card facing her. She froze, and the dealer laughed hysterically and claimed all her chips.

"Th-that's cheating!" she shrieked, watching her chips get organized into the chip rack next to the dealer.

"Too bad." the dealer shrugged. One crash later and the dealer was on the floor, glass bottle half way in his head. There were screams and gasps, everyone looking to Kalib, who was shaking with the other half of the bottle in his hand.

"Kalib...what did you do?" she shrieked, her legs shaking as she saw blood. Glittering blood.

"Teaching this damn cheater a lesson!" he grumbled, wiping his mouth. He looked around, threatening to hit other people with the sharp end of his broken glass bottle, and security guards began to flood in from the back rooms. Kara began to back away slowly, staring at Kalib as if he was more insane then herself.

"Kara, help!" Shawn pleaded as he tried to wretch the security guards off his twin. Then someone knocked a gun into his head and he hit the floor.

"Don't mess with ma' boys!" Cody yelled, jumping from the second floor to a security guard that was tackling drunken Kalib. Kara continued to back towards the door, every fiber in her being shaking. She came in contact with something furry, and then it growled. She turned her head slightly, finding a Houndoom on her feet. "Kara! Help us!" Cody said, then was knocked in the head by another gun, just like Shawn.

"I-I can't! I'm sorry!" She cried, running out the door. The Houndoom growled and spewed fire onto the walls, which got the other walls to catch on fire in an instant. It was mass hysteria, and Kara was fleeing the scene to her best ability, since heels, even the ones and low as hers, weren't made for running.

Then police sirens. She panicked and looked around for a place to hide, but she was in a wide parking lot with the backdrop of a burning building behind her. It wasn't an ideal scene to be caught in. Teeth caught onto the hem of her dress and pulled her behind a huge dumpster, away from the police cars. She hugged Hound in relief.

"What did I do...?" She whimpered, "All those people are caught in a fire...with..." She couldn't even continue the sentence.

"_They'll be fine,_" Hound barked, "_YOU need to get to the 'Center._"

She nodded, trying to hold back any guilty tears, "Okay, to the 'Center, act cool." She walked calmly past bushes and onto the sidewalk, away from the police cars. She zipped up her jacket, taking a side glance at all the police officers, shook her head, then continued on her way. Even so, she found herself going into a sprint.

A few minutes later she made it to the back of the Pokémon center, her legs freezing. She collapsed on the Sunyshore sand, thankful that it was still there. She pulled the jar up, twisting the lid on it, and looked over to Hound who was staring at her with mad eyes.

"Please don't tell Noel." She whispered, watching the devil dog near the building doors.

"_You owe me._" the Houndoom growled, entering the 'Center. She let out a sigh of relief, then looked back down to her sand.

"Right now...I wish I had visited my cousins instead." She muttered to herself, returning to the 'Center.


	36. Probation Part 1 of 2

**Reminders:**

_Girl 1: Multicolored haired, Strange clothes, Very rude but a loyal friend to those who earn her friendship. Has a Snover, Misdreavus, and Spiritomb.  
Girl 2: Girlfriend to Cody, Dark green hair (DYED), Wears slutty clothing despite it being freezing outside, owns a Eevee, Shiny Sentret, and Shuppet.  
Guy 1: Black hair with orange tips, originally came from Sunyshore, Spanish decent, is the calmest and mature one of the series. Has a Chimchar, Growlithe, and Vulpix. (Although know one knows the last part)  
Guy 2 (with minor roll today): Veteran trainer with tough pokemon and chases Team Galactic around. Shy around girls. _

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 29  
Probation Part 1/2

* * *

"_DAY 22, July 30__th__...(I'm putting dates now to keep track of days! Aren't you proud of me Tasha? :D) _

"_Newayz, (YES, I used z, IT'S NOT LAME) I umm...went to the Casino last night. It was...interesting. There was a fire (more or less caused by me) leaving all the innocent drunk people and friends behind. I'm so guilty. Satan did it to me T_T..._

"_Also, today is the day of the Gym battle! And contest! I hope Kalib is okay. He was caught in the fire. Alright, closed battle, but I'll send you a DVD of it later! And the Contest is at 7, so don't forget to tune in!"_

With buneary scarf and top an' bottoms, Kara entered the lobby where Noel had called her into just a few seconds ago. She stopped mid-way when she found someone slightly familiar...short, multi-color haired, with a strange fashion sense had just exited her room, the closest to the lobby, and was now facing the slightly taller girl.

"Hi Lexi!" Kara greeted, "When did you get to Veilstone?"

Lexi just gave her looks that could kill. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Aww, why not?" The other girl whined, following her to wherever she was heading.

"'Cause I don't, okay? Get away from me!"

"Aww, come on..."

"You're so damn annoying, you know that?" Lexi spat, arriving at the large flat screen TV Noel was staring at.

"Amen to that sister." He muttered, raising his soda bottle. Despite these negative comments, Kara just shrugged and planted herself on the couch next to Noel. The news was on, with the backdrop of the casino in all its burnt glory. Several Machoke were entering through the door with rolled up wallpaper and beams of wood. Apparently renovations came quick to a place with all the bills.

"_I'm here at the scene of the war at the Casino folks; I'm Theodore Donatello and you're watching the Scene at 14!"_

"Hey, when did Don become a news reporter?" Kara wondered. The others shrugged and continued to watch the screen. Don was quickly booted off by the real commentator, who looked like she had just run in with a makeup clown.

"_Come back here again and I cut off your hair!" _the reporter snarled at Don off screen, "_Ah. Better. Hello, I am NPC Reporter for Scene at 14! We're here at the Casino, where last night reports went off about gang wars and devils setting the scene on fire! These reports were more or less exaggerated. Apparently one of these gang members, who, make note, was only 16, smashed a glass bottle of wine atop a card dealers head. After that, the whole Casino fell into disaster. These are the teens who were arrested last night."_

Individual mug shots of the Floaroma Gang appeared on the screen.

"Oh no, Kalib..." Kara muttered, beginning to wonder what would happen for her gym battle later.

"I expected nothing less." Lexi said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, he's a good guy!" Kara argued.

"Actually, he's not." Noel intervened, "I'm glad you weren't there when that mess happened. You could've gotten seriously hurt!"

"Ehehe...right..." she replied, looking downcast at her feet. Must remember to clip toenails later.

"_We have little footage from the security cameras. Here it is folks" _The reporter faded away as the grayscale video commenced, starting from the point where Kalib crept up to the man and slammed the bottle against his noggin, all the way to ending where Kara ran out the door and the gang boys were tranquilized.

"Wow, was that you in the itty-bitty dress?" Lexi laughed, knowing that everyone was watching that particular figure.

"N-no! I was at my cousins!" Kara retorted to her best ability, but the guilt was evident on her face.

"_You _went to the Casino? _Without me_?" Noel gasped, taking off his sock hat to look more authority-like. He looked more disappointed than angry.

"I-I'm sorry—"

"I _so _could've had a better night if I didn't have to play poker all night with the pokémon, who I've noticed cheat A LOT. You couldn't have let me tag along?" He whimpered.

"Well you don't like Kalib, and it just didn't seem like something you'd approve of..." She trailed off, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"I still wanted to go!" He whined. There was a ringing from a PokéGear and Kara was relieved to take her attention off Noel for a moment.

"Hello?...Yeah, I know, I just saw it on the news. Good going. ...WHAT? But what about the battle? ...They will? Alright, I'm on my way, can I bring Lexi?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you maniacs!" Lexi yelled, and stormed out the 'Center doors before Kara could ask.

"Okay, bye." She hung up, then turned to Noel. "So...where's the police station?"

* * *

After a relatively short breakfast consisting of snacks from the vending machines, the duo took a bus to the police station, almost at the edge of town. The inconvenience of getting to other places that were in danger, like the Casino for instance, went on unsaid. Kara entered first, annoyed that a bell went off as the door opened, and looked around for a place to go. In all seriousness, she had never been to a police station before. She just wasn't that bad. The room the duo was in consisted of grey marble floors with a castform chandelier hanging above the receptionist desk, and the room parting into 4 hallways; 2 from the front and 2 from the back.

"Welcome to the police station," said the person at the receptionist desk, "What is your problem?"

"We're here to visit an arrestee." Noel said, strolling up to the desk. It was scarily organized, with stacks and stacks of paper like pancakes at the back of the circular desk.

"Oh? And are you blood related?" the receptionist inquired.

"No—" Kara started, but Noel took liberty in interrupting her sentence.

"Yes, she's Kalib...umm...forgot his last name, uh cousin. Yeah." He said.

"Who now?"

"Pink hair, nose ring, sunglasses?" Kara suggested.

"Ah, the young men who were arrested last night." the receptionist nodded, and began going through her computer, "Hmm...yes, we have records of them making their final call to a caller ID of 2920..."

"That's me!" Kara waved her hand up.

"Yes, but they informed the staff that they were just friends, not _cousins._" the receptionist eyed them with an unimpressed look.

Kara shifted around nervously, then pointed at Noel, "_He _lies all the time! He did it!"

"Hey! Don't blame me!" Noel whined.

The receptionist coughed. "No matter, just take that back hallway to the left and continue till you get the end. I'll alert that staff that you are coming."

The two nodded and hurried off, not wanting whatever reprimands the receptionist was going to give them for lying through their teeth. The hallway went on for almost forever, with too many doors to count and not enough walking space. Eventually they reached the end where tall steel doors stood, completely throwing off the office-like look the hallway gave off. There was a code lock on the side, but they didn't even have to think of hacking into it because two officers who looked oddly identical were waiting for them at the side.

"Are you two the ones the receptionist was talking about?" one of them inquired. The duo nodded and the other officer punched in the code to the door, which made a loud creaking noise as it opened slowly.

Inside it was like an animal pound. People were behind cell bars, all of them men, more or less looking like a creature straight out of a horror novel. Several were thick with pot bellies, wearing biker gang jackets and mullets that were way out of style. Their ages ranged from as young as 18 to the old desperate 70 year olds.

"They're all staring at me..." Kara whispered uneasily to Noel. Luckily the corridor was wide enough for her to walk through the middle without fingers being able to reach her through the bars.

"You're the only girl in a 10 foot radius; they have a good excuse." He shrugged in response, "Hey sicko, don't look at her like that you pedophile!" He yelled, wagging a finger at a random cellmate. "See Kara? All you had to do was..." Said cellmate reached pass the bars and took the end of Noel's sock hat, then pulled it off. Noel squealed and attempted to keep it on his head. "AHH! HELP! HE GOT ME!" he squealed at the top of his voice.

Kara rolled her eyes and pried the guy's fingers off Noel's hat, pinching them in the process. The cellmate whimpered and backed away while nursing his fingers.

"You wouldn't last one day here." She said to Noel, pushing him away from the bars. He decided not to reply and followed the officers to the end of the corridor, where the pink haired trio waited behind bars. Kalib was boredly leaning on the wall, Cody was asleep on one of the cots, and Shawn was holding the bars while looking at the people on the other side with a sad puppy face. He wanted out.

"Are these the ones you're here for?" One of the officers inquired.

"Yeah." Kara nodded, "Do I have to pay bail or something...?"

"No, they're just minors." The cop replied, "These two are just being given a warning;" the cop pointed out Cody and Shawn, "And this one has probation."

"What does that mean again?" Kalib deadpanned.

"It means that you'll be given a tracking anklet and you're not allowed to leave town." The cop sneered, "One more strike and you'll be in the slammer even longer."

"Oh, one more night, I'm _so _scared." Kalib said sarcastically, although beyond his face you could see fear.

"Oh shush Kalib, don't give them a reason to make you stay longer." Kara snapped, "We have a gym battle in a few minutes remember?"

"Yeah yeah..." he muttered, "I'll just need my pokémon back." he looked over at the officers expectantly. One of the officers left to get the items while the other officer punched in a code in a box next to the cell bars to make it open. The bars retreated to the side and allowed the twins to get out, while Cody continued to sleep.

"Someone want to wake him up?" Noel asked, pointing to Cody who was snuggling with a pillow.

"Nah, he'll wake up later." Kalib said, although he was grinning instead of grimacing at his friend.

"Aww, do you forgive him now?" Kara asked, pointing her question at his smile.

"I'm not going to answer that." He shrugged as the other officer returned with a box full of pokéballs and a metal bracelet. The twins claimed their pokéballs, while Cody's Cherrim still sat to the side.

"I'll hold it for him." Kara volunteered, taking the pokéball and adding it to her belt. Now she had three full pokéballs and two empty ones; this balance felt safer for some odd reason.

Afterwards the tracking bracelet was snapped around Kalib's ankle. The cops warned him that if he took it off, he would be fined or worse; deported. Someone pointed out that it might be impossible since he was _from _this country, but apparently the cops didn't see it like that...

"So we can go?" Kara asked after all the paperwork was done. The cops nodded and Kalib smirked, looking up to the ceiling.

"I have a feeling you won't like our next destination my poor ole' teammate..."

* * *

The location was a park somewhere in Veilstone near the various fountains that spewed water and bubbles in funny directions, and the inhabitants were the guys from before minus Shawn. No one knew where he crawled off to, and frankly no one cared. All participants for the gym battle today were out and about, or in simpler terms; sitting in front of a fountain and watching their trainer's argument.

"No!" Kara shrieked, glaring at Kalib. He went on unfazed.

"Yes."

"NO!"

"Um, yes. Kara, there's no escape to exercise." He deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"Exercise is my enemy." She hissed, turning slightly just to show that she refused to do any running. Why was it that everyone wanted her to exercise all of a sudden? It just wasn't fair sometimes.

Kalib made a face to Cody, who was sitting on a bench nearby. They swapped looks, nodding their heads towards their dark haired friend, then gave a final nod to seal the silent deal. Kara switched gazes from Cody to Kalib, trying to figure out what they were saying. If her besties were here, maybe she'd be able to have a silent conversation too...take that Cody and Kalib.

"What was that all about?" She inquired.

"Hug!" Cody smiled, running towards her.

"You're weird!" She shrieked, and began to run away from him. Vespiquen was let out of her ball, and she was added to the chase sequence as well. Kara gasped, "WHAT? _This _is your plan?" She received a nod from Kalib and scowled. "You're mean!"

Noel laughed, tossing a few coins into the fountain that the others were running around. "Good plan. Takes a lot of effort on her part..."

"I've noticed" Kalib chuckled, "So are we...cool? Or are you still mad at me? I swear that thing with Team Galactic was _not_ my fault. I tried my best to get her the hell out of there!"

Noel stared at him for a few more seconds, contemplating no doubt. "...You're on probation." He replied.

Kalib sighed, "That's a start. So...do you remember Maylene's pokémon?"

Noel grinned, "You'll see later."

Kalib glared at him, then broke into a laugh, muttering "You suck"

A few more minutes later Kara was caught by an overly-friendly Cody and Vespiquen who really just wanted to join into the hug. This got her into cringing and looking elsewhere to avoid awkwardness. That's when she spotted Lexi walking with her Snover.

"Lexi! HELP ME!" She cried across the many other people in the park.

Lexi and her ice mushroom stopped, and turned ever so slightly to see the situation. After one second, she uttered this; "No."

Kara groaned and sweat dropped.

* * *

The trio arrived at the Gym almost a half an hour later, only minutes early to their battle. If they didn't hurry, they'd lose their spot, and you know how professional pokémon gyms are these days. Goodness. When Kara reached to open the door, she was surprised to see it open itself and almost push into her. On the other side were her rivals from Sunyshore; Edgar and Kayla.

"Hey..." She said as they passed her without giving her a second glance. She wasn't sure whether to take their cold attitude as a positive or not. What did she do this time?

Cody caught up with Kayla before she went anywhere. "Hey, umm, just gonna leave us hanging like that?"

Her scowl slowly melted when she faced her boyfriend. "Oh hey honey, didn't see you there! _Her_ lameness must've washed you out."

"Hey..." Kara growled, taking that as an offense.

"Hey nothing, you're not _in _this conversation." Kayla spat. Kara shrunk back to the door, seeing as though that was as long as she could hold in an argument.

"What's with the attitude?" Noel said, "Edgar, now that you've got 4 badges, you think you're all that? That you don't have to speak with us?"

Edgar didn't reply, in fact he still hasn't acknowledged their presence.

Noel continued. "Well FYI, I have _12 _badges. I don't see why you think you're so badass now."

"Stay out of this" Kayla spat, pointing her finger at him. Edgar stopped her before she went on, and looked up at them with irritated gold eyes.

"Look—you did something wrong. I don't want to be associated with people like you."

"People like us?" Kara repeated, "We're the _same_! Just because we ended up on a news report doesn't mean we're any different!"

"Especially _you_;" Edgar replied, "You're the _last _person I'd expect to see get arrested. Maybe we'll speak again when you regain you're stereotype status." With that, he walked away with his Chimchar on his heels. Kayla stuck her tongue at her before following him.

"I never wanted to be a stereotype...and I _wasn't _arrested!" Kara protested, but they were already out of earshot.

Kalib groaned, "Let's just go, they're not worth it. If they were real friends, they would've accepted it, or at least stick around to hear the whole story." He said while nudging her towards the building.

"But...Edgar..." Was the last thing she said before the Spanish civilian left her vision.

* * *

**Well, thats it for today :D I meant to put the Gym Battle and Contest in the same chapter, but I could never got around to finishing it on time. Why? Cause I joined the swimteam O_O I know its not a valid excuse since practice is in the freakin morning, but I just felt like sharing :3 **

**I guarantee that I will have the last part of the episode done by Monday, so if 5 individual people would like to give feedback, the next chapter will be sent Monday :D Promise!**


	37. Probation Part 2 of 2

**Happy Thanksgiving! I'm doing a surprise chapter for no reason at all. We got 4 reviews last chapter, which made me happy :P it's close to 5, and I felt bad knowing that ppl were like...'come on 5th person...come on...' or maybe you weren't like that? Psh, okay, that's my little fantasy then :P**

**Thank you guys for reading! You guys have max awesomeness! Props to **_Zokolov, xoxobubblesxoxo, cjml1, _**and** _Marchosias._

**P.S. _Screw_ word count. These line breaks are ALL the substance. SERIOUSLY. On my master document the story is only around 104k.**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 29  
Probation Part 2/2

* * *

"This is a 3-on-3 double battle between the Veilstone Gym Leader Maylene and challengers Kalib Monterey and Kara Ryka! Begin!" Announced the judge; Maylene was on one side of the battle mat, with pink hair wearing her usual tank top and sweatpants. Several of her students were sitting to the side to cheer for her.

"You know the plan?" Kalib inquired as he pulled out his pokéball.

"Yeah yeah, I just stick to the back..." Kara muttered in response, expanding her blue/red capsule, "Lunybuny, time in!" Her Buneary popped out of the pokéball from a beam of light.

"Exploud, detonate!" He tossed up a red pokéball, releasing his purple monster of death onto the mat.

"Machoke and Meditite, let's go!" Maylene released a purple muscular pokémon and a white psychic...thing. Their descriptions were limited because of odd appearances.

"Weird, you think they'd use any pokémon EXCEPT their normal types..." Noel muttered to himself, sitting to the side with the other spectators.

"I concur." Replied a voice to his left. He yelped like a girl in surprise and turned to see Alta sitting in the previous empty spot beside him.

"What the hell? When and how did you get in here?" He spat, consciously moving to make some space between their legs.

"2 seconds ago; and through a window." She replied calmly, "I mustn't miss one of my stalkee's battles. That's just bad stalking."

"So you admit you're a stalker?"

"I never denied it." She said, propping up her eyebrows. He scooted even further.

"So...not taking any notes?"

Her face fell slightly. "Err...not today I guess." She muttered, and turned back to the battle that just began.

On the field the pokémon were staring at each other to see who would go first. Eventually Maylene called a Brick Break for Machoke and a Confusion for Meditite.

"Exploud, use Stomp on Meditite!" Kalib commanded, and his monster gave a running start with the ground shaking like crazy.

"Lun, dodge the attacks with Baton Pass!" Kara said along with his attack. The Brick Break and Confusion headed towards her Buneary were missed as she suddenly _poof_ed away, replacing the spot with Meditite. Because of this, Machoke's Brick Break hit Meditite, while Exploud accidentally crushed Lun under his foot, believing it was still to be the psychic.

"Dammit" Kalib said under his breath.

"Heey, keep your monsters foot off of my rabbit!" Kara shrieked, facing him angrily.

"Keep your rabbit out from under my 'monsters' foot!" He replied with the same expression. Maylene's pokémon were quickly recovering and he moved quick, commanding, "Fire Fang on Machoke!"

"And Lun, back it up with Quick Attack!" Kara said.

"Machoke, use Leer to slow them down, and Meditite, use Drain Punch on any of them!" Maylene called, and the next set of moves commenced. The Buneary jumped off at a speed that eyes couldn't follow, white streak following, while Exploud stalked behind with a mouth full of flames. Machoke stood its ground and glared at Lun, and its eyes flashed. She flinched and broke out of her attack, falling backwards in mid-air, and ended up in Exploud's mouth, flames engulfing her fluff.

_Dammit, what the hell is happening here? _Kara grimaced at her pokémon, because apparently Exploud thought that the Buneary in his mouth was actually Meditite. They were about the same size.

"Lun, use Baton Pass if you can hear me!" She countered quickly, not even attempting to get a glimpse of Kalib's expression. He was either horrified or angry, and she regretted ever agreeing to this double battle. Now she was putting his and her badge illegibility at stake. It was clear that he was a better trainer, and it made her guilty to know she was slowing him down.

POOF! Meditite was replaced with a Buneary, and now the psychic was taking the attack. Exploud roared in pain and opened his jaws, revealing Meditite using Drain Punch somewhere near the roof of his mouth.

"Use Crunch!" Kalib said, taking the advantage of having the pokémon its mouth.

"Detect!" Maylene called, but it was too late and Exploud's teeth clamped over the tiny white/blue pokémon's body. After being spat out, Meditite was declared unable to battle.

"That was...awkward. Are you paying attention to this Alta?" Noel wondered from the sidelines.

"Those are some admirable teeth." She responded, and said nothing afterwards. He shrugged and returned his attention to the battle, where Maylene released her last pokémon; her Lucario.

"Fire Fang on Lucario!" Kalib commanded. Exploud stomped forward teeth bared, and took a chunk out of the metal dog's leg.

"Knock him off with Bone Rush!" Maylene yelled. A blue neon light formed in Lucario's palms before morphing into a bone club—

"Jump in there and use Endure!" Kara yelled to her Buneary. Lun braced herself while jumping in the way of the attack, getting slammed into a wall. Exploud slammed Lucario into the wall next to her.

"Machoke use Brick Break on the Exploud and Lucario use Force Palm on the Buneary!" Maylene said.

"Dodge it and use Frustration!" Kara called across the mats.

"And Exploud, Thunder Fang on Machoke!" Kalib said. It was like they were in their own little individual fights now. Exploud rushed towards Machoke with teeth cackling with lightning, and the purple macho man ran towards the purple monster with hands pointed like knives. Meanwhile, Lucario was coming towards Lun with palm ready to backslap, but she had already aimed for his head and lashed out. Lucario smacked her into the wall with Force Palm, and she slid down with her eyes snapped shut. Machoke and Exploud collided, and Exploud used his arms to take Machoke's feet and bit it, letting the electricity transfer, then tossed the useless doll aside.

"Buneary and Machoke are unable to battle!"

The two were returned by their respective trainers.

"Choose wisely, we only have the Lucario to deal with." Kalib said to Kara as she reached for a pokéball on her belt, believing it to be her Prinplup.

"I know I know, I only have one other choice anyway." She muttered, and tossed the ball up, and was about to call her battle cry, only to find a pokémon completely _not hers _popping out.

It was Cody's _Cherrim_.

"What the hell!" Kalib shrieked, backing up slightly, "Is that _Cody's_? I thought you gave that back!"

"I-I thought I did!" Kara stuttered, "Can I switch?"

"Too late, you already sent out your third and last!" Maylene smirked, "Lucario, Force Palm on the Exploud!"

"But the Cherrim isn't mine!" She argued, and everyone was so preoccupied with this predicament that no one saw Lucario smash Exploud into the ground with Force Palm. This super effective move finally ended the beast.

"Exploud is unable to battle!"

Kalib returned his Exploud and stuffed the pokéball in his leather jacket. "Urgh...whatever, you've got the disadvantage, so let's just lose and come back again later." He muttered, stalking over to the bleachers.

"I'm not just gonna give in." She muttered, and hurriedly took out her pokédex to find out Cherrim's moves. "Err...Cherrim, use Petal Dance!" Cherrim span, covering herself in a pink tornado of petals, which expanded and hit Lucario making him lose the neon bone he was about to attack her with.

"Bone Rush into the petals!" Maylene commanded.

"Prepare Solar Beam please!" Kara called, hoping Cody's Cherrim would listen to her. Sometimes her own Prinplup wouldn't listen to her...if only Cody hadn't run off to be with his _girlfriend_. Sunlight began to gather into the tornado, making beams of light escape from the cracks in the petals. It was beautiful for a contest move, and it left everyone in awe to gasp and behold. Even Alta went and took a picture.

"This isn't a contest!" Maylene roared, irritated, "And I said _Bone Rush_!" Lucario shook his head out his reverie and a neon bone materialized in his paw, then rushed forward and stabbed the tornado with Bone Rush. There was a bright light, then an explosion as Solar Beam was penetrated.

"Are you okay?" Kara called as she squinted through the smoke. She looked up to one of the windows where the sun came in, and saw a figure that looked oddly like a Team Galactic admin cross the sunlight. She grimaced and returned to the battle, her head flashing memories of her Lombre and Luxio. After the dust subsided, Cherrim and Lucario were still idling around, although Cherrim was spinning clumsily in confusion. Lucario was scratched up from the explosion.

"Metal Claw!" Maylene ordered.

"Please dodge and use Magical Leaf!" Kara called. Cherrim continued to dance out of the way, narrowly missing Lucario's silver-steel claws, and her head-petals flared up and shot multicolored-leaves at him. This of course was nothing but a flick of a finger to him. "Err...now use Sunny Day!" Cherrim snapped out of confusion and spewed a hot ball of light into the air, which detonated and created fireworks. The room became over a hundred degrees, and Cherrim opened up to her sun form.

"Is the Cherrim Kara's? She might do really well with it in tonight's contest." Alta said, removing her scarf as the temperature of the room became unbearable.

"No, it's someone else's." Noel shrugged, "But I agree...that Cherrim was built for contests, not gyms."

"Another Petal Dance!" Kara started as Maylene began to sweat in the heat. Her Lucario was beginning to get dehydrated and was panting heavily. Cherrim span around, pink petals bursting from her own petals, spiraling into a twister.

"Metal Claw through it!" Maylene ordered. Lucario's paws and the spikes protruding from them shone like shiny quarters, and bashed through the petals like tissue.

"Solar Beam!" Kara yelled before Lucario could go any further. A sheer white beam tore through the air, emitting light, a strange ripping noise, and inflicting pain on Lucario who was too close to dodge. After the light faded, no one could find where the human-animal went. A body fell from the ceiling, and everyone 'oh'd.

"I swear that beam wasn't pointing upwards..." Noel muttered from the sidelines.

"Lucario is unable to battle, the winners are the challengers!" The judge announced. Kara squealed and hopped into the air, running over to Kalib to give him a high five. He shrugged it off and continued to give her the cold shoulder.

After the gym leader returned her pokémon, Maylene went up to her challengers and bowed. "Congratulations on the win." She said after her bow. The duo nodded and she continued and turned to Kara. "Your Cherrim is incredible...although I must say, most of the moves I've seen were polished beautifully...it's like I was watching a contest from the front row...have you ever considered being a Coordinator?"

Kara smiled bashfully. "Actually...I am...I couldn't decide whether to be a Trainer or Coordinator, so I went with both."

Maylene shrugged and continued to beam. "Well you're doing a great job with that Cherrim of yours."

"Err...right..." Kara laughed nervously and looked away, turning her attention to the windows.

"So, to prove that you have beaten me fairly, here are your badges—"

"That lady!" Kara suddenly said while pointing to that window she was staring at, interrupting Maylene's sentence.

"Excuse me?" The gym leader raised an eyebrow and tried to follow her line of vision.

"Can't explain! Have to go!" The dark haired girl replied, and dashed out the gym doors without a second thought.

"..._So_, anyone up for some McDonalds?" Noel said out of nowhere.

* * *

The sky was clear and the trail was obvious, but Kara wasn't as fast as the average teenager. She lost sight of her target behind a tall building and slowed to a stop, leaning on her knees and panting. She turned the corner from the building, her eyes catching onto the big 'GHQ' letters on the next building. She continued to catch her breath while confused thoughts were running through her head.

_GHQ...This doesn't make sense..._She kept staring at the building, wishing the answers to her questions would flow right out. _This is the second time I've been lead here...but I better leave before something bad happens again. _After one last look, she turned on her heel and took a cab to the center.

After the cab ride, she checked the time to find it was noon. She went up to Nurse Joy, placing Cherrim's pokéball on the desk.

"Would you like me to heal it?" The nurse inquired.

"Umm...no...Just give it to Cody Joy." Kara replied, still exhausted.

"Oh, this is my nephews Cherrim? Thank you then." The nurse took it and bowed, then disappeared into the back rooms. Kara left towards her room and dropped her bag onto her bed, along with her hoodie and shoes, then stacked her pokéballs and PokéGear on it. She extracted black sunglasses from her pocket, then locked the room. She strode through the hallway, thoughts still swimming.

"_So I hear you two are looking for a Lombre?"_

Her Lombre was gone.

"_It's a business sweetie! Deal with it!"_

Her Luxio was gone.

"_How am I supposed to count on you tomorrow if you're in a slump?"_

Yet he counted on Cody's Cherrim to win their battle, not her own pokémon.

"_Your Cherrim is incredible..."_

And it wasn't hers.

"_That Cherrim was built for contests, not gyms."_

And her own pokémon were built for gyms, not contests.

_...What am I doing? _She wondered as she leaned on the wall leading to the lobby. She was alienating herself again, but she knew it was her choice all along. She was never going through with it. So why did she fool everyone into believing she was?

And before she knew it, she was knocking on Lexi's door. The twelve year old opened the door, lifting an eyebrow at her visitor.

"Did I say you could visit me?" She inquired, crossing her arms.

"I..." Kara struggled on her own words, "I umm...can I stay here for a while? I'm hiding..."

"I'm not a tool for your little hide-and-seek game." Lexi spat.

"Please, just for a few hours." Kara pleaded, folding her hands together in front of her.

"...What are you doing? Don't you have a contest to get ready for? Don't you have friends to 'hang' with? Don't you have a few pokémon to find?" Lexi asked as Kara stepped inside, collapsing on a chair. All of her problems were right there, and how Lexi knew was such a mystery.

"I...I don't know anymore. Can you not tell anyone I'm here?"

She looked so lost, so depressed, that Lexi had to give in. What kind of jerk would say no?

"...Fine. But you better not annoy me while you're here. I have to get ready for the contest anyway." Lexi replied, unzipping her suitcase on her bed.

"Thanks." Kara said with a tiny laugh, and was silent from then on.

* * *

"It's time! It's time!" Noel yipped in the crowd of contest lovers. It was time for the contest, and he, the Floaroma's, and Edgar were sitting in the bottom bleachers for the best view of the performances of their friends.

"Go Kara! Go Kayla! Go Kara! Go Kayla!" Shawn cheered, pumping his pompoms in the air. He was shushed promptly afterwards as the house lights dimmed and the main stage lit up.

"_Good evening one and all to the Veilstone Pokémon Contest! We've got great performances planned tonight, and you already know the judges, so let's start!"_

The first performer was Don, who sent out his Typhlosion, who was slightly different than others of his kind because of the scar over his right eye. The performance began with a Flamethrower that span into a funnel, mixed with the colors of orange and green. Afterwards Typhlosion jumped into the funnel and used Eruption, making the whole thing burst and causing fireworks to fly. The crowd loved it and went wild.

Soon later Lexi arrived on the stage, sending out her Snover. They started out with Razor Leaf, throwing them towards the ceiling, then freezing them with Ice Beam. As they began to fall, Snover broke through them with Ice Punch, creating sparkles and snowflakes. The crowd went wild again.

Then went Alta, who used her Froslass. Their time spent on stage consisted of using Blizzard and making a moving picture using Confusion, then annihilating the conjured images with Shadow Ball. It was almost like Modern Warfare...and the crowd was confused, but screamed like maniacs nonetheless.

"_Next we have Kayla Wakeman of Sunyshore City!" _

Kayla pranced on stage, glowing of a confidence none of the guys in the bleachers could figure out. What was with her? She was usually nervous.

"Ferrera, show time!" The dark skinned girl released her Shiny Sentret, utilizing 'heart' seals to the max. There were so many glittery hearts on stage that it looked like a Valentine's Day float. "Defense Curl!" the Sentret rolled into a ball, surrounded in a blue force field. "Now Quick Attack over the hearts!" Ferrera rolled over the hearts, rolling them over, but after being flatted they all popped right back up like rubber. "Fight them with Slam!" Ferrera jumped out of her folded state and rammed into the hearts, smashing them together. They began to form into a big pink bulge.

"...Hey, I can't reach Kara. Anyone hear from her?" Cody inquired while on his PokéGear. The others shushed him as Kayla's performance carried on.

"Rip that heart apart with Fury Swipes!" Kayla finished up. Ferrera soared into the air from her tail and took her shimmering claws, then shredded the heart to glittery bits. The judges applauded her on her Sentret's strength.

"_That was Kayla Wakeman folks!...Alright people, next on the line up is Kara Ryka of Sunyshore City!...Anyone seen her?" _The MC and all the other people in the crowd began to search around for a person they probably didn't even know looked like. "_Kara? Kara Ryka? Hellooooo?"_

"Where is she? She's gonna miss her cue!" Noel squealed in horror, biting his nails.

"I haven't seen her since the Gym, and she still hasn't claimed her badge yet." Kalib shrugged.

"_Hmm, looks as though she's not here. Alright, moving on..." _the MC started.

"No! Where is she? She can't just skip the contest!" Noel protested.

"Just leave her be." Edgar said, crossing his arms while looking at the stage with boredom, "I had a feeling she was going to do this anyway..."


	38. Bring on the Cavalry

****

Wee! Sunday! I love Sundays. I get food from the grocery store on that day :3 As regarding to the story; not sure if you can expect a chapter on Friday. I haven't written anything yet. Hmm. We'll see :P

**Reminders:  
**_Guy 1: Has black hair in a buzz cut and piercing green eyes. Wears a black leather jacket. Has 6 badges. Has a grudge on pokemon theives...*coughTEAMGALACTICcough*, known pokemon so far are a Typhlosion, Luxio, and Glaceon. He's a fast runner and shy around girls, is a chocoholic and a gentlemen, yet has a hot headed attitude. Some of his personalities contradict each other :P_

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_Episode 30  
Bring on the Cavalry

* * *

Location? GHQ. Or more specifically; the _heart _of GHQ. In the heart was a dark room void of windows and sufficient lighting. Sitting in this room was a red-headed woman who was reading through a nifty little notebook with the words 'Alta's "Note taking" Journal' written on the front. The woman reading it was flipping through the pages, reading little footnotes, and drawing stupid things on the taped pictures in permanent marker.

"Mars!"

The woman's head snapped up as light flooded into the room from the open door to the hallway. Neptune stood at the door with a cage in hand, and in the cage was a Luxio.

"Yes ma'am?" Mars said, closing the notebook and putting it down.

"Watch this one too!" Neptune said, carelessly dropping the cage onto the floor next to the other one in the corner.

"Okay." Mars said, mandatorily bowing, "And I've finished reading the journal you've assigned me to look over."

"Great! Give me a debriefing while I go to the bathroom." Neptune said, and Mars followed her into the hallway, closing the door to a crack. The two Pokémon were silent till their footsteps were inaudible.

"_LET ME OUT OF HERE!_" The Luxio screamed, "_I-I DEMAND TO SEE A LAWYER! OR MY TRAINER! EITHER IS GOOD!" _

"_Shush Shina, I'm meditating here…" _Said the Pokémon in the cage beside her. Shina yelped and her fur released sparks that lit up the whole room before dying down to its dim state again.

"_Lale! I-is that you?" _She used her tail to poke the subject.

The Lombre sighed. "_Yes, it is I. Has Kara sent you to liberate me?"_

"_Err, no, and am I poking your feet?"_

"_Yes, and stop it! I'm ticklish…"_

"_So you're sitting on your rain dish?" _Shina inquired.

"_Yep. I choose to be queer." _Lale replied in a serious tone, and Shina stifled a laugh to be polite.

"_Oh...I thought you were a FEMALE Lombre..._"

"_I am!"_

"_WELL...Queer means..."_

Lale glowered at her teammate in the darkness. "_There are OTHER connotations to queer you know!" _

"_Oh, I know._" Shina shrugged carelessly and threw their 'serious' topic away, "_So are you gonna help me out of here or not?"_

"_I'VE been here longer, why don't you help ME out?" _Lale shot back.

Shina rolled her eyes. "_Alright alright, enough caps..._" The Luxio closed her eyes, trying to release that fright inside of her that was screaming its way into her throat. If she was careful, then maybe she'd be safe with her trainer. Well—not safe with her trainer, but probably safer in her pokéball. After calming herself down, Shina snapped her eyes open, and they began to illuminate.

"_Heeey, I see you fixed that light bulb problem!" _Lale mused, referring to Shina's eyes.

"_I know!_" Shina yipped, the light flickering as she blinked, "_I'm so proud! Anyway, this room is pretty small, but going through the windows is a no no...Since there aren't any."_

"_I'm experiencing claustrophobia now that you've said that." _Lale replied, getting off her lily pad, mostly because the blood was rushing to her head.

"_Hmm, there are a few vents...but that's old school and I doubt we'll fit into there. I guess running is our only option." _Shina concluded, blinking to stop her tear ducts from glowing.

"_Yeah; plus we're two medium strong pokémon. We'll be fine." _Lale nodded. Shina licked her lips and clasped her fangs around the metal bars of her cage, then began to chew like crazy. The metal wasn't wearing down as fast as she hoped. _"Come on Shina! Chew faster!" _Lale cheered.

"_I can't! This metal isn't my favorite flavor!" _The Luxio whined, and resorted to using Night Slash to tear up the bottom of her cage. Unfortunately all it did was trim her claws a few inches.

_BOOM!_

Blue energy blasted off Lale, lighting the room up in the process. The bars to her cell were blasted away and made dents into the wall as they landed.

"_Whoa! Couldn't you have done that earlier?" _Shina inquired between biting through her own bars and clawing through the base of her cage.

"_I forgot I still had my Nanab berries." _Lale shrugged.

"_Yes, because in a world without logic those berries still haven't rotted after a few days." _Shina deadpanned, _"Now help me out of here!" _

"_Right. Back up..." _Lale warned, and Shina backed into the farthest part of her cage, her tail swinging through the bars. Lale began to glow, as if summoning her power, but then began to fade. "_...N-no! The berries have diminished!"_

"_Lame mans terms?" _Shina requested with a lifted eyebrow.

"I heard an explosion in this room..."

"_Someone's coming!" _Lale cried, "_I'm sorry Shina!" _Before the Luxio could wonder why, Lale hopped into the air and caught hold of the air vents that had no blinds covering it whatsoever. The green pokémon shimmied down it in an instant, leaving Shina in the room all by herself.

Mars returned to the room, and turned on the lights to see that one of her prisoners escaped. After muttering profanities, she picked up Shina's cage and left the room.

* * *

_Earlier that day..._

"Get. Out."

"...hhh..."

Lexi glared at the dark headed girl and threw off her sheets, tossing them aside for the maid to clean. Kara, who was on the couch in Lexi's room, blinked slowly because she was still halfway in her dream.

"Did I...Did I win the contest?" She inquired slowly, swinging side to side. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"You weren't there." Lexi stated, hands on hips. "Now get out of my room! I'm leaving this stupid town and _you're _not invited."

"Yeah yeah..." Kara said while yawning, "...Who won the contest?"

"Some chick named Kayla." Lexi shrugged, and pushed her out the door. Just as she was about to slam the door in Kara's face, Kara's eyes went wide and she put her foot in the doorway.

"Wait WAIT _WAIT_!" She shrieked, "Did you just say _Kayla _won?"

"Yes, now leave me alone." Lexi spat, kicking her foot out of the way, then shut the door. One click later and it was obvious that she locked the door too.

"Whoa..._Kayla _won the contest..." Kara trailed off as she headed for her own room. "Who knew she had it in her?" She began to chuckle as she headed for her room, not surprised that it was locked. After swiping her keycard into the lock, the door opened and she faced an empty room. Her stuff was still sitting on her bed untouched, but Noel was absent. Then of course, the door to the bathroom opened.

And to say hell broke loose was an understatement. –Inserts more exaggeration—

"Kara!" He shrieked, "There you are!"

She quickly turned around as the towel to his mid-section _fell_.

"Whatever you're going to say, can it wait till after I get my papers at GHQ today?" She said, her cheeks heating up. She slowly looked over her shoulder to see that he retied the towel around him.

"No, it can't!" He said, "Where _were _you? It better be important, because missing a contest and worrying us like that almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry." She muttered, mostly just to shut him up. "It was my choice to bail on the contest, and I'm sorry for not calling you...It's just that Shina and Lale were stolen by Team Galactic, and they're my main priority right now." She left towards the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes, and ended the conversation with the sound of the shower running.

"Wait..._Team Galactic _stole your Lombre and Luxio?" Noel recalled, banging on the bathroom door to get an answer out of her.

"Yeah, now leave me to my shower! God! I never interrupted your hour long ones!" She replied over the sound of the water.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He said, slightly offended that she was keeping secrets. How come he didn't notice either?

"You always go over the line for everything! Just let me handle it myself!" She replied.

"I...I can't do that!" He said, amazed that she would reject his help. Wasn't his help always the best? He wasn't given a response, so he quickly changed and left the room, a new plan in sight. If she didn't want his help...then she would get help from someone else; someone who had a grudge on Team Galactic...

* * *

After almost half an hour of searching around town, Noel settled on returning to the 'Center on an empty stomach. He collapsed onto Nurse Joy's desk and looked half dead.

"Err...May I help you?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah, did Kara leave already?" He said. The nurse nodded, and he muttered profanities. "Fine...how's my Gengar doing?"

Nurse Joy went through a little binder on her desk, her eyes skimming the pages. "Still recovering, but visitor hours are permitted. Why?"

"Because I'd like to use up my visitor hours!" He answered with a wide grin, and ran into the hallway on the right towards the rooms where the injured pokémon stayed. He opened the door where he remembered his Gengar was staying and peered inside.

The room was completely blinding white and sterile; and his purple little ghost creature was still asleep on the cot next to a window.

"Hey...Genji...?" He poked his pokémon, only to find his finger phase through his Gengar's skin. He yelped in surprise and took back his finger, then bent down next to what he assumed was an ear. "Hey...Genji..._WAKE UP_!"

"_SCRAAAH!" _His Gengar screeched, sending a Dark Pulse in every direction. The walls shook and Noel was thrown into a wall.

"Whoa..." The room started spinning to him. "It's just me Genji..."

"_Idiot." _She hissed, and he assumed that's what she said, or something along those lines.

"How are you feeling?" He inquired, getting off the floor and bring a chair up to her bed, then sat.

"_I just threw you into a wall, and you want to know how I'M doing?" _His ghost lifted an eyebrow, and he just continued to blink. "_Well, okay. I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Can you give me that water bottle right there?" _She pointed to the bottle of water on the nightstand, and apparently he could only follow her gestures and retrieved it for her.

"Well, just wanted to let you know we should be leaving by tomorrow...I think." He said, completely off topic for whatever she was going to say next. "Are you up to speed enough to help me save Kara's poke—GROSS!"

And she sneezed in his face, snot spraying like Windex.

"_Sorry, my mouth takes up half my body." _She stated.

"Bleck! I think I need to take another shower!" Noel squealed, wiping his face with nearby towels. "I'll take that as a no! But that's okay; I'll just ask Kado to help me. Get better!" With that, he shut the door to the room, missing the last exaggerated groan from his pokémon.

"Ty, Flamthrower!"

His ears perked at the familiar voice from outside. He curiously went outdoors to the fields, his eyes following the enormous stream of flames emitting from a burly Typhlosion with a scar on one of his eyes. He immediately recognized it as Don's Typhlosion from last night's contest, and by the looks of how the flames were being strung around by rope, they were probably practicing.

"Hey Don!" He called, running over.

The black haired guy looked up, turning his attention to Noel. He motioned for his pokémon to cease the flames then pocketed his hands.

"Hey Noel!" Don replied, grinning, "Did you forget that little conversation we had in Hearthome? I want a battle! 6-on-6, no drawbacks!"

Noel chuckled, but mostly felt sorry for what he was going to say next. "I'd love to...but my Gengar is sick, and I was looking for you actually. I need your help."

"Oh. And with what...? I could dye your hair magenta if that's what you wanted." Don suggested.

"...No!" Noel shrieked, astonished that he would even suggest that, "I need your help taking down Team Galactic!"

Don's green eyes instantly darkened, which of course scared the crapload out of Noel. "Say no more; I'm on it. Let's go Ty." He called to his pokémon, stalking away in no general direction.

"...Wait! Can't I at least finish my monologue?" Noel whined, attempting to catch up. Don stopped and turned back around, sighing.

"Alright; hurry up."

"Good." Noel huffed, already out of breath from the short run. "Okay; so apparently Kara, uh the chick with the purple hair...well, you know her, she was in some of your contests." He muttered, and Don nodded along. "Okay, so apparently her Lombre and Luxio were nabbed! When and where I have no idea, and she won't tell me _anything_! She said I do too much! What does she mean by that?"

"Well...what would you have normally done?" Don inquired, his foot tapping impatiently. He just really wanted to get a move on.

Noel contemplated, tapping his face with one of his fingers. "Well. Let's see...I'd call the demon overlords to bring hell...blast the doors down with my Houndoom...that kind of thing." He shrugged.

Don stared with lifted eyebrows. "...Interesting plan, but I was thinking of something more subtle."

"Pfft, subtle is for normal people." Noel scoffed, looking elsewhere.

"So we're just going to storm in and demand that they tell us where her pokémon are at?" Don clarified.

"Yep."

"Oh. So where is Kara anyway? Maybe she could help us." Don suggested.

"Hmm..." Noel looked up, as if looking at clouds would help him remember. "Err...GHQ to get her licenses."

"_GHQ_? That's Team Galactic's headquarters too!" Don cried, and hopped onto his Typhlosion and rode off towards the base.

"...Convenient." Noel shrugged, took a moment to let out his Blastoise, and rode on its back as it used its water jets to rocket behind Don and his Typhlosion.

* * *

"Smile...No...That's not a smile! That is a freakin' crappy smile! Do you want people to laugh at you when they look at your picture?" Snapped the purple haired camera woman with large fake glasses. She adjusted her power suit before returning to glaring at Kara.

_I just want my damn picture taken. _Kara grumbled, and forced the corners of her lips upwards. If she had to stay in this position for five more minutes, she would crack.

"Eh, good enough." The camera woman muttered, "Now tilt your head some...ignore the beeps in the back...no, no, don't turn your head from the camera, UGH!"

"What's going on...?" Kara muttered, trying to find the source of the constant beeping sirens coming from the backrooms. She was in a large dull room filled with white backdrops, blinding lights, and a tiny little chair to sit on. There were a few windows, but they were so darkly tinted that she could only see silhouette figures rampaging through other halls.

"Will you just take your freaky little head and turn over to the camera?" The camera woman growled. Kara groaned and muttered 'if I get out of here quicker' under her breath and swiveled back to the camera. After a short little click and a blinding flash, the picture was done.

"Arceus, we're finally done." The camera woman groaned, and opened the door behind her. "Now get her!" She pointed at Kara while tossing off her disguise, revealing to be Jupiter of Team Galactic.

"Wha—what's going on? Get off me!" Kara shrieked, trying to pry her arms away from the grunts that were trying to tie her arms together behind her back.

"Just keep your eye on the birdie." Jupiter smirked, and made the camera lights flash in her eyes continuously till she was almost blind. Then the grunts placed a sack over her and carried her out of the room upside-down.

* * *

"Waaait! Don't just storm i—"

Noel groaned as Don and his Typhlosion melted the doors down and proceeded inside GHQ, wishing he was in front or had at least finished his sentence. He hopped off his Blastoise and ogled at the wreckage caused by Typhlosion's Flamethrower, wishing his own Houndoom had flames that powerful. His water pokémon put out the remaining flames and they followed the ashes into the base.

"Wow, Don sure knows how to crash a place." He muttered, walking through the sooty hallway. Don was probably only a few hallways in front of them and had already wrecked 3 hallways and burned ten miscellaneous Galactic grunts. Noel kicked them to be sure they were alive, and sure enough they moaned and let him follow the trail.

After another few minutes, Noel had to stop because there was a rattling in the vents. "Barren, Water Pulse into the vent." He said, pointing to the undone ventilation tube. After sending two blue glowing orbs into the vent, there was a _POP_!, and whatever was in there was sent back to where it came from. From there they continued, although it would've been smart to notice that the thing they hit wore a lily pad...

* * *

_Where the hell am I...? _Kara blinked awake, turning away to shield her eyes from the intense light that shone into her eyes. Spots still lingered in her vision from the previous camera flashes, and she attempted to peer around the room to figure out where she was. Apparently the only light in the room was the one directly in her eyes; and she was strapped to a chair.

"Why did you bring her in _here_?" Whispered a voice from a far end of the room. Surprisingly she recognized it, and it sent shivers up her spine to remember; it was Saturn, the creepy pervert dude who looked like he was raping her with her eyes.

"Because all of our cells are filled with corpses! _Excuse me_ for trying to be accommodating!" Hissed another voice. It was that woman who took her picture; Jupiter. Great, so they were working together.

"If Neptune finds out about your doing, it's on _your _paycheck." Saturn replied, and he looked extra mad.

"Feh, I live off of roasted pachirisu's anyway." Jupiter scoffed, "At least I wasn't like Mars, who brought the girls' Luxio_ here_."

_WHAT? Shina? _Kara's hope grew as she inconspicuously scanned the room for her pokémon, but couldn't find her anyway. "Shina...I know your there...and you have big ears, so I hope you can hear me!" She muttered, low enough so that the two Galactic people couldn't hear her.

"Eh, Mars is a failure. She probably won't be able to hold off the two kids that broke in a few minutes ago." Saturn shrugged, "I'll start the scanning process before they get here."

_PLEEEEASE don't involve needles..._Kara prayed, locking her eyes to the ceiling. She peered out of one eye to Saturn, who was preparing a tiny little needle. She whimpered and shut her eyes tighter, wishing this was all a dream. She hoped that whoever those two kids were that broke in, came _fast_.

"Alright little plumwich; let's see where to poke you..." Saturn said, coming towards her with his needle. "Let's see, left boob or right?"

"Get _away_ from me!" She shrieked, squirming in her restraints. She heard a growl coming from behind her, but she decided to ignore it because there were more _important _things coming.

"Hehe...or maybe even lower..." Saturn smirked, fiddling with her short's button. She hated how she couldn't just kick him right now...stupid duck tape.

"Stop scaring her Saturn, just get the blood sample already so we can see if she's linked to Azelf or not." Jupiter snapped on the other side of her. Kara sighed of relief as Saturn pulled away his needle to glare at her.

"Now look here, I'm doing this _my_ way! It doesn't matter where we get the blood, as long as it's hers!"

_I picked the wrong day to not have fake blood. _Kara sighed while keeping her eyes shut tightly. There was a _thud _that grabbed all their attentions, making them turn towards one of the vents from the ceiling. On the floor directly below the vent was a Lombre, and not just any ordinary Lombre..._Kara's _Lombre. She let out a sigh of relief and began to smile.

"Thank God, I'm saved!" Kara said, "Lale, please use Mist!"

"Don't just stand there, kill it!" Saturn snapped.

"Oh please, _you_ have pokémon too!" Jupiter spat, reaching for her belt. Lale puffed out white smoke, obscuring the room.

"_I finally got through the bottom of the cage!" _Came a voice beside Kara, but all it sounded like was 'Lux lux Luxio lux'. After what felt like a knife cutting her skin, her binds were sliced in half and she was free.

"Oh no you don't!" Saturn said, grabbing her arm and stabbing the needle into her wrist. She screamed in pain, then was thrown back onto the chair she was previously in.

"Lale, Bubblebeam, and Shina, Spark!" She commanded. Bubbles broke through the mist and hit Saturn, while Shina shimmered through the mist with electric octopus arms stretching from her fur, then slammed into Jupiter. Before they could think to do anything else, flames began to mix in with the mist, turning it orange and making the room unbearably hot. The mist swept aside and Don and Noel emerged with their respective pokémon.

"Don! Noel!" Kara cried, running over to them.

"Hey, why'd she say _your _name first?" Noel whined as she reached them.

"Who cares; I have crooks to burn." Don said, and disappeared back into the fog with his Typhlosion.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou for coming!" Kara gasped, clinging onto Noel's side and burying her head into his vest, "They put a needle in me! But then I found Lale and Shina, so can we get out of here?"

"Recall your pokémon, we'll go." He nodded. She sighed of relief and returned her pokémon in their balls. The orange mist finally cleared completely, but unfortunately the room was empty minus them and Don.

"Dammit they got away!" Don roared, slamming his fist on a random computer. If you thought something plot-related was going to pop up on that screen, you were wrong.

"It doesn't matter...we found Kara and her pokémon, and that's all that matters." Noel said, patting his shoulder.

"Alright...one battle won but the war continues..." Don agreed.

Kara turned to Lale and Shina's pokéballs and hugged them, hoping her pokémon could hear her, and whispered, "I'm so glad to have you guys back...Next time, just _tell _me if you don't like my flareon jacket."


	39. Reassembly of the Dunces

**Someone douse me in flames. I'M SO SORRY FOR LEAVING! Yeah, I took a break. Are you going to forgive me...? Maybe, because here is the LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! 6000. Your welcome.**

**Truthfully, I had author's block. And yes, there's a new picture to win over my apology. Check my profile later.**

**ALSO. This is the reassembly of everyone...everyone we know and remember, has arrived! Will they be displayed as much as we want? We'll have to read. Do you remember everyone? Well, if you don't, I advise that you scroll down to the end and check out the reminder. Want to test out your memory? Then read on.**

**WE HAVE FINALLY LEFT VEILSTONE! -parties-**

**Thanks to **_Silver Don_**, **_Teddiursa97_**, **_Zokolov_**, **_cjml1_**, **_pokefan101_**, and **_Marchosias _**for reviewing last chapter! Sigh. You guys rock so much T.T**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 31**  
Reassembly of the Dunces

* * *

"_DAY 24__th__, August 1__st__. _

"_Yesterday was...weird. I'm not really going into detail with it Tasha :P. Let's just say...I got Lale and Shina back! Wahoo! And I met a pervert. Yep. ANOTHER ONE. God what has the world become..._

"_Since we FINALLY left Veilstone (gosh I can't believe how long that arc lasted...) Noel suggested taking Don to Valor Resort with us since he was planning on going there anyway. So you know how the cart only goes 30 mph? It goes SLOWER now. Now if someone would just help me push Noel out of the cart..._

"_Oh, and Lucian called a few minutes ago. He said he's at the Resort today and needs to talk to me...urgently. God I hate when he uses his big vocabulary. I must be in trouble"_

"STOP PUSHING ME—NO—STOP—KARA!"

"Na na..."

"Are you two always like this?"

If you couldn't recognize their banter by now, here's what was happening; Kara edged Noel out of his seat, and now he was holding onto the bars of the Golf Cart with his pinkies. Don sat in the back, shaking his head at their actions. How much more like 3 year olds could they act?

"Kado, stop this cart!" Squealed Noel, who was half way onto the ground. He couldn't claim his seat because a certain girl was taking up every single spot available.

"No, keep going!" Kara said, waving away Noel with her hand. He glared at her and tried to pull himself up, but she threatened on prying his pinkies away from the metal bars.

"No really, STOP! There's a bus coming!"

"BUS?" Kara looked around to see if he was telling the truth, and was pushed into her regular seat. Noel stuck his tongue at her as he reclaimed his seat, and she pouted and looked into the rearview mirror, spotting the road, trees, and a...bus. "B-BUS!" She stammered, suddenly grabbing into the steering wheel for her life, and it would've been more convenient if it wasn't placed between Noel's legs.

"Hey, don't try that, I already used that ploy!" He replied, crossing his arms indifferently.

Don turned slightly around, his pupils shrinking. "Um, you know, I don't really think she was trying to steal your seat that time..."

"Don't _you_ try it either; you want my seat too." Noel replied, refusing to turn around.

"THERE'S A DAMN BUS COMING OUR WAY!" Kara screeched, and slapped both Noel and Kado, waking them both up from whatever daydream they were in. Both instantly looked to the bright beams of light coming from a giant coach bus's headlights behind them, and the Golf Cart suddenly swerved out of the way and crashed into a bus stop, nearly bending the 'stop' sign on the way there. The bus stopped only inches away from them. "That was waaay to close..." she sighed, letting out a puff of air. The three guys stared at her and she looked back with a lifted eyebrow, wondering why they were looking at her like that.

"Praise Arceus the angel has cursed!" Noel gasped, lifting his hands to the sky.

"I-I didn't! No I didn't!" She quickly denied, blushing at the fact that she let one slip.

"Yeah you did, I clearly remember it..." Don taunted, giving her a faux disappointed look.

'_We heard you loud and clear, case closed.' _said a voice in her head. Her eyes widened and she looked around, then clutched her head and said, "AHH! I'M HEARING VOICES!" The guys sweat dropped and accusingly looked over to Noel's Alakazam.

"God, I leave you alone for a few days and you're already going crazy again..."

Kara quickly turned to the highly familiar voice, the guys following her line of vision. Their eyes were set on the bus doors, which swept open dramatically to reveal their acquaintance, or to her, her best friend Tasha Lincoln.

"TASHA!" Kara squealed, hopping out of the Golf Cart to greet her friend. Noel sighed happily and took her seat with his legs.

"KARA! Hold on, someone else is getting off the bus." She snapped. Kara pouted and scanned her friend, finding her dark-skinned buddy to be wearing a white tank top-jersey with the Cowboys football team on the back, blue track shorts, white running sneakers, and a pokémon belt around her waist. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, while her bleached bangs were left out. She was also carrying a huge blue duffel bag behind her...big enough to hide a body. Hint hint.

"Oh, who?" Kara wondered, turning back to the bus doors that were still hanging open.

"Hurry up kid!" Screams the bus driver.

"My bag is stuck!" Whined said 'kid'. Noel's head turned to the familiar voice, eyebrows up in disbelief. Was it who he thought it was?

"Shoot, I knew stuffing all your crap in one tiny bag wouldn't work." Tasha said, climbing back onto the bus. Seconds later she emerged with a backpack in hand, and it was so bulgy that it was difficult to fit through the narrow bus doors. "Umm, help here?" She said, shooting looks at the others on the other side of the bag.

"Oh sorry, let me..." Don said, hopping out of the cart and taking the other end of the bag like a gentlemen. Kara stepped to the side to watch the madness.

"This isn't going to work! Slate packed too much crap!" Tasha yelled, pounding her shoulder into the bag.

"HEY! Don't mock my ability to fit a baseball bat, a blender, all my clothes and supplies, AND my copy of the Twilight series into one puny bag!" replied the voice that was apparently watching from the first seat from the front. You could hear groans of other passengers from the open shaded windows.

"Why the freak do you need a blender?" She shouted back. Now Noel was up out of his briefly gained seat and on the sidelines, interested in watching whatever was going to happen next with wide eyes.

"To blend things! Duh!" Slate replied in the same serious tone.

Noel sweatdropped. "Hey Slate, is that you buddy?" He called, peering pass Tasha into the bus.

"NOEL! Yes it's me. WHERE'S MY TURTWIG SOUP?"

"Will you shut it?" Tasha hissed, "I'm trying to get your stupid ba—AHH!" One final push and the bag finally wedged through, taking Tasha with it. She and the bag toppled on Don, who ended up hitting the curb. Luckily all it ended up being was a bruise.

"Very graceful..." Kara mused, helping her friends up.

"Take your crap." Tasha spat, tossing Slate's bag back to him as he stepped off the bus. It closed abruptly behind him and drove away the second the doors closed.

"God, what's with you? Your being an ass..." Noel muttered.

"It's her time of the month..." Slate whispered with a 'hint hint'.

"SHUT UP!" Tasha roared, then swiftly turned to Kara and swapped moods. "Hey buddy! Here's what we're going to do..." She whispered into her friend's ear, and Kara nodded enthusiastically and hurriedly ran to the golf cart, Tasha following.

"On Dixon!" Kara cheered, nudging Kado the Alakazam. The golf cart sped off towards Valor Resort, leaving the guys at the bus stop.

Don stared after them, gasping. "...WAIT! My pokémon were still in the trunk!" He sped off after them, smoke following his trail.

"So..." Slate started while watching Don slowly get smaller and smaller as he got farther, "Should we just wait for the next bus?"

"Sounds good" Noel agreed, taking a seat at the curb.

**

* * *

**The girls plus Kado soon arrived to the gates of Lake Valor Resort, coming upon a water front with a few buildings floating over a stage that was attached to land. There were a few malls to be seen from the front plus a hotel that attempted to look like a pokémon center, but the main attraction was a huge building with a Dome roof, most likely a contest hall. The ground was mainly white pool tiles and narrow water canals spread throughout the streets.

"EEE! It's the promised ice cream land..." Kara marveled as the cart began to cruise through the streets so they could get a good tour.

Tasha sweat dropped. "I've left you alone for far too long..."

"Pfft, I'll be fine..." Kara pouted, "Why did you leave Solaceon anyway? And why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"It was a surprise!" Tasha smiled, patting her friend's shoulder when she began to sulk, "And God, do you know how many texts you send in one hour?"

"You never replied to one, so I was stuck to listening to Noel and Don rant about their hairspray." Kara muttered in response, although her sulking had to be lifted because she started seeing murals on the ground, which were getting her excited. One was of a red gyarados, and another was of two whismurs; one green and the other one regular colored. If only someone hadn't dropped their chili on one of the paintings...

"Aww, good thing I came then!" Tasha beamed, "Ooh, and there's another surprise waiting for you at the hotel!"

"ICE CREAM?" Kara hoped, and yelled at Kado to speed up so that they were at the hotel in almost five seconds flat. She jumped out of her seat and ran into the revolving hotel doors, not even taking a glimpse of the breath-taking lobby because she was too busy searching for a vat of ice cream.

"KARA!" Two familiar voices said from each side of her, and tackled her into a hug. Kara recognized the voices to be her teen model besties Ravenn and Maria—but her only response was obviously;

"Wait...you two aren't ice cream! I was gypped..." Kara muttered, sighing.

"Oh nah, I'm taking that hug back!" Ravenn said, backing up and crossing her arms. Kara's eyes shifted from Ravenn to Maria; They were both decked out in clothes that looked like they were bought straight off the racks in the Sevii Islands.

"Kidding!" She beamed, "Tasha, how'd you know they were here?" She inquired as the last of the quartet entered the lobby, taking a good look of the lobby. Most of the outer walls were made of glass to see outside, while above it the walls were painted in hues of blue to look like a bright blue ocean. The couches and sofas lying around the wide lobby were navy blue and ocean blue, matching the almost redundant theme of the whole resort. The receptionist desks were in the back, with one elevator on each side of them. Beside the elevators were hallways that most likely led to battlefields.

"We planned to meet up here." Tasha replied, entering the circle-square-group thing they made when standing next to each other.

"_Without_ me? Waah..." Kara muttered, looking down to her toes.

"We did it _for_ you!" Maria deadpanned, "Now do you know if they have a casino here, because I have a thirst for poker!"

"Erm, how would I know that when I just got here...?" Kara said, slightly jumping at the word 'casino' as Veilstone memories were briefly remembered, "And don't you guys still have that modeling thing in the Sevii Islands?"

"Feh, that was over a few days ago." Ravenn shrug, "And guess what _I _bought?"

"The whole island I bet." Tasha muttered sarcastically, getting a playful shove from said boney model.

"Anyway...I bought your birthday present!" Ravenn said.

"Oh shoot, I forgot! Be back guys, I need to go find a dark alley and buy...things..." Maria said, quickly exiting towards the main entrance.

"No alcoholic beverages Maria! You know what happened last time!" Tasha called after her.

"I don't think she'll find those kinds of drinks here..." Kara wondered as she watched her friend leave.

"Maria has connections everywhere, so we can never tell." Ravenn shrugged. "Oh, and are we sharing rooms? I still have our luggage over there." She pointed to the several luggage cases behind her.

"Yeah, my uncle paid for a whole hallway actually...did you guys let him in on the plan?" Kara asked, pointing her lifted eyebrows at Ravenn and Tasha. The two swapped looks then looked elsewhere.

"No...?" The two chorused in a creepily unison way.

"Yeah...well just go tell the receptionists that Lucian reserved the rooms for you...I need to go talk to him right about now." Kara said, pointing her head towards the sign in desk.

"Catch up with ya later then!" Ravenn said, and her and Tasha fled towards the sign in desk, leaving Kara alone. She shook her head with a smile and left the same way Maria did, then looked upwards to the tops of the buildings nearby. She took a right towards the parking lot where the cart went after Tasha guided it earlier, and found Kado in Noel's seat, lounging and floating.

Well, like people, like pokémon.

"Hey Kado, keep an eye out for the cart till Noel returns 'kay?" She said as she rummaged through her suitcase in the trunk, taking out a few more appropriate tank tops and windbreakers that her formal uncle would expect her to wear. After checking to make sure no one was watching, she lifted her top above her head and swapped it with the other, still checking to make sure no one was looking. After another second of recon, she pulled on her windbreaker in the theme of a beautifly.

"You can get arrested for public nudity you know." Said a deep voice that sounded like it was near her shoulder; She yelped and span around while covering her chest with her arms, although she had forgotten that she was already wearing something on top of her bare skin.

"I-I wasn't nude! I was quickly changing tops, and I was still wearing pants!" She retorted to Don, who was glistening with sweat and was still trying to calm down his breathing. He must've been running by the looks of it.

"Whatever, but I can still say that you flashed me~" He sang as he stepped pass her to the trunk to retrieve his items.

"Did not!" She continued to deny, still blushing furiously. Even the thought of anyone seeing her skin was just mortifying.

"Calm down; I just ran through town, and trust me hundreds of other girls were wearing less then that bra of yours." He muttered, checking to be sure he didn't leave anything else in the golf cart.

"...Urgh." She groaned at being unable to make a comeback. "...Were Noel and Slate with you?"

"Nope, I have no idea where they are." He shrugged.

"Oh." She said, "Well...if they're looking for me, they can just call." With that, she began to walk off, slightly staring at her PokéGear.

"Oh...well, where are you going?"

"Just going to go meet up with my uncle..." She replied, and decided not to disclose any information after that. With the address of the restaurant plugged into her PokéGear, Kara trotted off into the city.

**

* * *

**

Noel and Slate climbed out of the bus, almost twenty minutes after Kara and the others arrived. They stared at the ocean-themed scenery and artistic sidewalks before commenting;

"Oh my God, finally! A walk in bathtub!" Noel exclaimed, running forward. He tripped while doing so and slipped into a huge water fountain that ended up being knee deep. He sprayed out the water that went into his mouth earlier.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance." Slate grinned as he cautiously made his way across the slippery ground. When he arrived at the fountain, he became fascinated with the statue that was spitting out water. "Hey...This pokémon is Azelf!" He stated.

"What now? I can't hear anything...I think I got water in my ear." Noel replied, shaking his head to one side. His hat was floating to the side all the while absorbing water.

"Azelf is part of the lake trio. There's the one in Verity, which contains Mesprit, Acuity, which holds Uxie, and then Valor, which rests Azelf. Valor is right across the resort actually." Slate said as if he was reciting out of a book.

"Cool, whatever, I need to dry off..." Noel muttered, climbing out of the fountain and taking his wet hat with him.

"Towel?"

Noel sweat dropped as a familiar face randomly popped up in front of him with towel ready. "...Alta, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were still in Veilstone..."

His bright-blue haired stalker beamed and tossed the towel onto his hair, which almost looked black because of the water making it damp. He accepted it nevertheless.

"What are you talking about? I left there yesterday...must I announce when I leave?" She inquired, crossing her arms. He took note that she was wearing a t-shirt with the words 'Valor Resort' on the front.

"For safety purposes, yes." He deadpanned, throwing the towel onto his shoulder. "You remember Slate?" He gestured to his brown-grey haired friend.

Alta eyed Slate slightly, and Slate cringed and took a step back. "Yes, I remembered your strange pokédex-like friend. I remember the battle as well...and I'll win next time." A smirk grew on her face.

"Yeah...we'll have to battle some other time, I guess..." Slate muttered, "Noel...help? Noel? Hello Noel?" He turned over to Noel expectantly, who was making calls on his PokéGear. "_NOEL_!"

Noel glanced up from his dialing. "A bit busy here; you kids just discuss things under rated M, kay?" With a playful wink towards Alta, he went behind the fountain and continued his call.

Slate sighed in annoyance while Alta sighed with a blush on her face. He turned back around to her, wanting to do anything but engage in conversation with _her_. She was just super creepy sometimes.

"Want that rematch?" He inquired.

She expanded a pokéball between her pointer and middle finger and said, "Thought you'd never ask!"

After putting some distance between each other, the two released their pokémon from their pokéballs. After two flashes of blinding light that made the water from the fountain and canals sparkle, an Altaria and Nidoking appeared on the field. Miscellaneous people began to gather to watch, including a certain multi-haired twelve-year old...

"Altaria, we're starting it off! Get high into the sky and Dragon Dance!" Alta said, and her fluff-winged dragon-bird rocketed into the sky, a golden-black-dark purple aura surrounding itself as it span around gracefully, tiny beads of sweat flicking off while up so high.

"Shoot it down with Ice Beam!" Slate said, pointing at the bird trying to hide itself in low clouds. The horn protruding from Nidoking's forehead shimmered a clean white, mesmerizing the crowd with its shininess.

"Dive bomb with Steel Wing!" Alta commanded; her dragon bird made a graceful turn in the air with her wings, then those fluffy extensions flashed into a steely-color and sped up the owner, diving directly towards Nidoking. After a brave puff from his chest, Nidoking blasted a beam of ice from his horn, straight towards Altaria. Altaria put a steel-wing forward like a stop sign, and redirected the beam somewhere else.

"N-no fair! SO not fair!" Slate whined. "Nidoking, don't let that scare you! Focus Punch!"

"Altaria, prepare another Steel Wing!"

Nidoking drew back his fist, preparing to strike, while Altaria did the same with her wings, somewhat having trouble keeping herself airborne when the 'swords' were ready to slice. The two collided and a huge _blast! _blew everyone's hair back, it almost sounded like gems from Bejeweled exploding.

"Altaria, back into the air!" Alta said, pumping her fist in the air.

"Nidoking, Ice Beam from the back!" Slate suddenly said. Alta blinked and looked around, wondering what he meant by 'from the back'. Altaria's back? All of the horns on Nidoking began to glimmer, including the ones on his back. The crowd gasped, oohed and awed, and even Alta was ogling at the beauty of it.

"Oh cool...no, no, we won't give in!" She said, smacking one side of her head. "Altaria, use Sing!" Altaria swooped in low, merely ten feet above Nidoking who was still grunting while keeping the horns on his back aglow. She began to sing, and notes began to fly out her beak and hit Nidoking, and his eyelids began to flutter. Some of his horns began to dim too.

"Wake up! Nidoking don't fall asleep! Ice Beam now!" Slate yelled, even contemplating on kicking his pokémon to get him to wake up. His pokémon's eyes snapped open and shook his head awake, and the horns on his back began to glow as bright as ever. "Now!"

Alta's eyes snapped wider she realized what 'from the back' meant now. "Altaria mov—" She started, but it was too later. The horns created a huge wall of ice beam, and the beam cut Altaria right in half as she was soaring directly over him at the moment. After the beam died down, Altaria, who was coated in snow, dropped like a shot pigeon.

"...Whoa. _That _looked epic." Noel said as he returned from behind the fountain.

"Whappa! Alright Nidoking, we won!" Slate said, high fiving his beast. Alta pouted and returned her fallen Altaria, then stalked up to Slate and Noel with the sweetest face pulled on.

"Hey...thanks for the rematch." She said calmly, as if losing wasn't a big deal for her. "That last thing you did...it was really cool. How did you come up with it?"

"Yeah Slate, how did you?" Noel inquired. "That looked like a coordinator move."

Slate grinned bashfully at his friends. "Truth be told...Mary taught it to me. I love it there in Solaceon, I'm learning so much!"

"Who's Mary?" Alta lifted an eyebrow, and took out a new notebook and began to write things. It must've been new because the bar code sticker was still on the back.

"Mary is Kara's cousin." Noel explained, "I think she's a...Pokéathlete?"

"She's a Coordinator, Pokéathlete, Trainer, and a Breeder." Slate said. Noel blew a low whistle to emphasize how much activities the mentioned person did, all the while being one of the caretakers in the Solaceon Daycare.

"Well, talk about a full plate..." Noel muttered, "Alright team, to the pokémon center...hotel! It's time for a meeting!"

"...What?" Slate blinked.

There were beeps coming from both his and Alta's PokéGear, and they quickly retrieved the text message. "Oh, I see. A meeting about a party...interesting." Alta said after reading it.

"I still don't understand how you can text on this thing without keyboards..." Slate muttered as he followed the others towards the hotel. In the background, if they paid attention, they would've seen their multi-haired acquaintance get the message as well, scoff, and go back to doing her business.

* * *

Kara arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later after navigating, and stared at the structure she was almost forced to be at. After taking a nervous breath, she climbed the wooden steps to the wooden stage where the restaurant doors were and went up to the hostess, fiddling a bit with the pokéballs on her belt.

"Um, hello, I'm looking for Lucian..." She said in a shy and quiet voice, shifting her feet around nervously. Seeing her immensely powerful uncle without her parents around was always frightening. The host who seated people pointed past the dim-lit seating area to the outdoor tables, where they overlooked the ocean. She nodded a thank-you and scurried outside, staring mostly at Lake Verity than finding her uncle.

"Kid, over here." A familiar said from behind her. She turned her head to see her uncle sitting in the far corner that had even more view of water, with only one seat left and a blue table piece dividing the two chairs. She took the seat and took another breath, knowing that this'll most likely be an emotional trip for her. He always had to criticize her on anything and everything, and now that she was doing something out of school, she had to let the insults come in. He was part of the Elite Four, after all. His opinion mattered.

He gave her his knowing-smile as he swept his lavender hair backwards, where it just brushed his shoulder. After adjusting his tinted glasses, he picked up the menu and began to skim. "Did you have lunch yet?"

"I was about to..." She replied, opening the menu in front of her, but so discretely that it looked like she wasn't interested in eating.

"Good, then pick something, on me of course; and nothing off the desert menu."

"Aww." She slouched and got comfortable, then hid her face behind the menu. What would he say to her? Was he going to unplug everything and make her go home?

After ordering their food, there were no menu's to hide behind and she fidgeted in her seat as Lucian looked her over.

"Looks like you're intact for the most part; I guess hiring that Noel fellow out of nowhere was a good thing." He finally said, stirring the drink in his blue glass cup with a straw.

"Yeah, he's really cool...he was a good choice." She replied, feeling extremely uncomfortable. There was always that 'speak of the devil' thing that always happened when she opened her mouth.

"Are you sure? I've actually found more qualified people over the month; we could switch him with someone else." He suggested.

"N-No, Noel's good enough." She said immediately. People would wonder where he went if they found her alone...starting with that stalker Alta.

"Your choice." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Now let's talk business...the first thing is your spending."

"What about my spending?" She spat as he pulled a briefcase onto the table. He gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, and she felt like she was burning under his stare and simmered down. Lucian pulled a white slip of paper out of his briefcase; it was a receipt.

"These are all your receipts over the month combined into one roll." He announced, holding it up for her to see.

"That's not so bad." She muttered. Its length was probably only 7 inches.

"Oh, there's more." He interrupted with a stone face. He lifted his finger a bit, and _the rest_ of the receipt rolled out from under it. The paper looked like an abyss till it finally reached the floor and unraveled itself.

"T-that can't be it." Kara spluttered as she picked up part of the receipt and skimmed over the items. Her pupils shrank and she thought, _oh CRAP_, it _is _hers!

"That's what I said when I received it." He replied, glaring at her. "I thought you could manage money..."

"I can!" She argued, "It's just...I need costumes for my contests..."

He ignored her sheepish smile and went through the list of items. "Many of these items are necessities like food and water...a lot of snacks, might I add." He shook his head, "Everything is well and under 10 dollars...and then we have a spike, in this store in Jubilife where you spent _500 dollars_!"

"It was for a good cause..."

"Was it the 'clothe a Kara' cause?"

"Maybe." Kara responded in a low voice.

His face didn't change. "Continuing...in Hearthome I was surprised to see little fluctuations...how much was that dress in your Hearthome Contest?"

"Erm...I don't know, someone else bought it for me." She replied absently, and at his frustrated face, quickly added, "I-I told him not to! But he insisted! Really!"

"_He_? Who is this _he_?" Lucian asked suspiciously.

"No one!" She shrieked defensively.

"You're lucky I don't tell your mom what you've been tramping around in..."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean!" She yelled, getting a bit furious herself. Considering how fired up she was, she could probably burn down Eterna forest.

"I'm just saying, that _expensive _Lopunny leotard was a tad bit controversial back home in Sunyshore..." He said lightly as the food came around. A corphish with its eyes popped out of its sockets was placed in front of him while Kara was given her ravioli.

"This isn't about money anymore, _is_ it?" She spat, her fingers curling tightly around the fork she retrieved from her napkin.

"You're an artist, we can't bundle that...all I ask is that you box your creativeness a little bit. You don't have the money to afford all these costumes, is what I'm trying to say." He said, and Kara cringed at every crack from the lobster he was breaking.

"My costumes hardly cost over a hundred! What are you talking about?"

He dropped the corphish tail onto his plate, wiped his hands on his napkin, then went through the receipt again till he got to the bottom of the list. "There was a withdrawal in your bank account for almost six grand...on July 29th at around 8:13pm in Veilstone...tell me Kara, where is that money that you took out of your account? Where did you spend it?" He looked at her expectantly for an answer.

She froze, the night of the casino coming back to mind. _She lost all that money to the blackjack dealer. _"I...I..." She trailed off for an excuse, knowing that if he heard the word 'casino', he would wrench her out of her chair right then and there and Fed Ex her back home. "I...I must of left it at the pokémon center in the room I was staying in."

Seconds went by with no reaction.

Finally, Lucian sighed and dropped the corphish leg he was holding. "You're so forgetful sometimes..."

She exhaled in relief that he actually bought it, and then he continued to speak.

"I hope you know how much money that leaves you..." He said while examining another corphish leg, detached from the rest of the body of course. "The only way to get more money is to win another ribbon."

"I know."

"I hope you also know there's a contest tomorrow at this very resort."

Her head snapped up from her food. "...There is?"

"Yes, and I've already signed you up. It's around 1 in the afternoon, so I hope you have an appeal ready."

"I-I don't, I don't even have a costume!" She shrieked worriedly. And what if what happened in Solaceon happens again? She wouldn't go through that again!

"Then you better start practicing." He said, as if it were a signal to go ahead and leave, let your food get cold.

"I-I have to go." She stuttered, pushing her chair out.

"Wait" Lucian said mid-way in her standing on her feet. "You do remember our deal right?"

"...Our deal?" She blinked obliviously.

"Sit back down cookie monster." He ordered, and she followed, uncertain what he would do if she didn't. "The deal was to have at least 5 badges and 4 ribbons by the time school started in Sunyshore again in September. Do you remember _now_?"

She fiddled with the bangs hanging on the side of her face. "Well...yeah...I guess I do..."

"Oh? Then tell me, _what _was our deal?"

She hated how she was being treated like a child now. "I started in the middle of summer...If I don't have 5 badges and 4 ribbons by August 30th, then I have to go back home."

He nodded.

"But that's not fair! How am I supposed to collect _5 _badges and _4 _ribbons in 30 days!"

"You're still 14, kid. To be in this game, in the real world, you need exceptional talent. If you can't obtain those badges and ribbons, then it just proves that you need to be back home, getting a proper education like your parents and I raised you. Understand?"

She sighed, regretting a lot of things, starting with all this 'playing' that's been wasting her time. She's got a deadline; and because of her petty actions, she might just be going back home. Who'd want to do that?

"...Yes Uncle Lucian, I understand..."

**

* * *

**"ORDER PEOPLE! ORDER! SHUT UP NOW AND LISTEN TO MY VOICE!" Noel screamed.

The people in front of him blinked, then continued their minimal chatting. Noel sighed and stepped down from the couch he was standing on in the lobby, mostly because one of the maids claimed he was tracking mud. The people sitting around waiting for him to give his speech were Slate, Don, Alta, Tasha, Maria, Ravenn, and Cody, who said that Edgar and Kayla were too busy to come. He arrived about the same time Noel did.

"Alright...roll call!" Noel said, pulling out a scrap piece of paper from his pockets.

"Everyone's here, get on with it! My shows are on!" Ravenn snapped, sitting in between Maria and Tasha in a 3-seater couch.

"Not true—Lexi, Edgar, and Kayla aren't here." He replied.

"Wow, Kara knows all these people? Definitely more than the kids in Sunyshore..." Tasha mused.

"We're more of acquaintances." Alta said politely.

"And she's more of a stalker." Slate said from beside her, receiving a 'shut up' shove.

"Let's move on, I have training to do." Don said boredly, sitting the farthest he could from Alta and Slate.

"I agree with Theodore, let's move on." Noel said, nodding.

"It's _Don._"

"Whatever" Noel rolled his eyes, "The reason we are meeting is to discuss Kara's birthday tomorrow...We'll need time, location, and activities! I refuse to stand in the corner awkwardly because I _so _can't dance."

"It's all in the hips!" Maria piped while texting on her PokéGear.

"We're having a party? I dunno, she's not really the party type..." Tasha muttered, and Ravenn agreed with a nod.

"Where is she anyway? She might walk in..." Slate said, and everyone turned expectantly to Alta. She shifted her gaze with the almost eight eyes that were looking at her, and turned a shade of red.

"Why do you think _I _know where she is?" She shrieked. More stares. "...FINE! She's at the Seafood Plaza with her uncle."

"Good, that should give us like 10 minutes, considering how fast Kara eats." Ravenn said, leaning on Tasha and Maria's shoulders. "Oh! I suggest a surprise party at the pool; I can force her to wear this bikini I bought in the Sevii Islands!"

"And it has to be in the morning, 'cause I'm sure she wants to watch that contest later." Tasha reminded.

"Hey, _I'm _the leader of this meeting!" Noel whined, "...So, party in the morning, but at Lake Valor! Kids pee in the pools here."

"That's trifling" Ravenn scoffed.

"Let's see...Don will buy the snacks." Noel decided, counting things off in his mind.

"Why me? I hardly know her." Don shot back.

"Because you are a chocoholic and we're expecting you to buy a chocolate fountain." Noel deadpanned, "Let's see...what's missing? GASP THERE'S LEXI GRAB HER!"

Just as Lexi, the multi-haired coordinator, walked in, Slate rushed at her as if she was the ball in football and tackled her.

"Tag, you're it!" He declared.

"Dammit, should've taken the back entrance." She muttered, blowing a stray bang out of her face.

**

* * *

**The luncheon with Lucian was over, and Kara was trudging towards the hotel, keeping her eyes glued to the boots covering her feet. Sinnoh was always so cold, even during summer. It was about 69 degrees, and she stopped in her tracks and watched an inspiring artist sketch on the ground.

_Don't tell Noel... _Lucian's last words still echoed in her mind as winds whipped at her hair, obscuring her vision from the image being drawn into the ground with professional utensils. _Don't tell Noel about the deadline...just go on about normal..._

_But how can I NOT tell him? It's so serious..._She struggled in her thoughts and continued to watch the sketch of a magikarp come to life in almost one minute. _Only 2 badges and 3 ribbons left..._

"Please move your feet."

She apologized and moved as the artist continued to sketch in the spot she was previously in. After deciding nothing new was going to happen from there, she took a look at the hotel in the distance where all her friends would be, turned on her heel, and went in the opposite direction.

_Don't tell Noel he says...but I have to tell someone..._

* * *

**Reminders:**

Kara _14-year old with dark purple hair. Short. Sometimes cautious, oblivious, and obsessed with icecream.  
_Noel _15-year old with dark red hair. Medium sized. Wears a stupid white sock hat. Acts like a girl a lot. Has masculinity issues.  
_Alta _OC, 12-year old with crazy long bright blue hair in a ponytail. Is deemed stalker. Very polite and calm, lost her notebook in one chapter.  
_Don _OC, 16-year old with black hair in a buzz cut. He's a gentlemen and a fast runner, and so far is the strongest in the story.  
_Slate _OC, 14-year old with brown-grey hair. He's a walking pokedex with no sense of direction unfortunately.  
_Lexi _OC, 12-year old with blonde/multicolored hair. Very rude and snippy to people, but she has her nice moments.  
_Tasha _15-year old with black hair and bleached white bangs. The only Pokeathlete and has gible-bite marks on her arms.  
_Ravenn _15-year old with black hair in a crazy mess of a ponytail. Extra boney and a model, loves to shop, and shop, and shop...  
_Maria _15-year old with black hair and orange tips. Thick-boned and a model, loves booze and has the connections to get it.  
_Cody _16-year old with puce hair. Is part of the Floaroma Gang._

**Aww...did you like this chapter as much as I rushed to write it? Thanks for being here :3 I'll update after New Years, so Merry Christmas~**

**Oh, and were you wondering where Kalib and Shawn were? Kalib is under house arrest in Veilstone and Shawn doesn't feel like leaving. Eh. But they're handing out eggnog to reviewers :P**


	40. Dream Sequence

**Sorry for the super long chapter, I didn't feel like cutting it in half. Anyway**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thanks to **_pokefan101_**, **_anonymous_**, **_Teddiursa97_**, **_Zokolov_**, and **_cjml1 _**for reviewing last chapter!**

**P.S., I really like how this chapter turned out. It has a good balance of Amethyst and Carmine.  
P.P.S., Any errors will be revised later.**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 32**  
Dream Sequence

* * *

"Get it together people! We've got a deadline to meet!"

Noel stood at the front of Lake Valor, supervising over all the activities going on. So far, the only activities were the water pokémon swimming in the lake; everyone else were either just sitting around or haven't arrived yet. The people that have arrived though happened to be Tasha and Slate.

"Do you have duck tape? I need to tape some mouths shut." Tasha stated from her seat at the edge of the lake. Her feet sat inside the cold water while her lively Gible that liked to play 'shark' nibbled on her toes.

"No, but wouldn't that come in handy..." Slate agreed with a grin.

"Are you two going to help with set up or not?" Noel spat from his spot a few feet away.

"We came with nothing—I think that's a no." Tasha replied calmly. "Besides, it's only 4! Why can't we wait till tomorrow morning to set up the stuff?"

"Because it'll be too late!" He whined. "If you're not going to set the stuff up, can you at least help me clean the lake?" He pointed to various chip bags and soda cans floating on the surface of the water.

Tasha pulled herself off the ground, her foot picking up a plastic bag on the way up. "Yeah, I guess we could do that. People today are so gross..." She muttered while kicking the bag off her foot.

"I'll get the net!" Slate suggested, "Lenze, let's go!" He hopped over on his Pidgeot that was just resting under a tree, and the two were up in the air and into town quickly.

"Alright, if he gets the net, then I assemble the teams! Everyone out of the water!" Tasha ordered, clapping her hands together, "Noel, you'll stand on your Blastoise, Slate will stand on his Feraligatr! Chomp-chomp, you and Noel's Turtwig are on crush duty! You'll make sure that the crap from the lake is packed into the bags tightly! Alakazam will help hold up the net with Psychic! The rest of you pick up the trash on the ground!"

"...Hey, _I'm _the leader!" Noel whined. She turned to him with a menacing glare, and he yelped and hugged the closest thing, which happened to be his Blastoise. "Okay! You call the shots!" He said in a high pitched voice. Tasha smirked and looked over to the pokémon standing around.

"What are you just standing around for? Get a move on!"

* * *

"What to do..." The plum haired girl sighed as she paced around a clearing in the forest just outside of the resort. Her Prinplup, Luxio, Lombre, and Buneary watched her walk around, then got bored and started relaxing. She gave them an irritated look and took a seat on the ground with them. "This sucks. We only have a few hours to come up with a good appeal...and then make sure nothing goes wrong on the way."

"_You never ask us what ideas we have." _Emporor pointed out.

"_Do _you have an idea?" She retorted. He shook his head and looked to his teammates. The rest of them shrugged as well. Kara sighed and opened her pokédex, wishing it had all the answers. "Let's see...Emp has the potential to learn Fury Attack, but we don't need it...Shina could learn Crunch...Lun still has the opportunity to learn Jump Kick...ugh! All these moves are for battles, not contests!"

"_Maybe we should focus on one thing._" Lunybuny suggested, lying on her stomach while kicking her feet around.

"That's quitter talk!" Kara declared. "What about you Lale? You learned Natural Gift a few days ago...Ooh! I have an idea!" She hurriedly tossed her bag off her shoulder and rummaged inside, and her pokémon turned slightly to watch her toss stuff out in interest. She tossed a hoodie onto the ground, a few antidotes and potions, and empty pokéballs. She finally pulled out a sack, then turned it over to let the contents fall out. A myriad of berries rolled onto the grass.

"_When did you get all these?_" Lale inquired, and picked up one of the berries to inspect it.

"I bought them at the farmers market in the resort!" Kara said proudly, "It's like New York over there—random vendors on every block, very convenient."

"_So how do we know which ones she'll use?" _Emp asked boredly, still believing that whatever his trainer was planning would ultimately fail.

"We use cheat codes on the pokédex, duh." Kara deadpanned. "Hmm...Different berries have different typings, which would affect the color of the blast Natural Gift would be...like those Nanab berries Lale used to have, they were water-type, which made her explosion blue."

"_It also drenched you._" Lale pointed out.

"You had to mention that? I smelled like wet dog." Kara muttered with a blush. "You go stand over there and we'll test this thing out."

The female Lombre rolled her eyes and distanced herself from the others, standing in front of two green bushes. A berry was dropped into the other three pokémon's wing/paw/tail coil respectively, each one different in size and shape.

"Catch it and use Natural Gift, then toss it back!" Kara said, and took a spot in between the pokémon where she could lean against a tree. "First Emp, then Shina, then Lun! We'll rotate later! And...GO!"

The Prinplup tossed an orange berry into the air, and like a dart it flew into the air and began to decline as it peaked altitude. Lale leapt into the air after the berry, and once she caught it, her whole body began to shimmer with white light.

"DUCK AND COVER!" Her trainer screamed, dropping onto her stomach. The others followed, and Lale released the stored energy, exploding a white force field that felt like snow in Snowpoint. Once the explosion subsided, frost covered the ground and a cold mist still lingered in the air.

"_It was an ice move._" Emp summed up.

"Nice, nice, good job Pomeg berry...where'd it go?" Kara blinked and stared at her Lombre's red fingers, but there were no remains. No juice, no carcass. It was used up completely. "Just great. Now what is Ravenn going to put on her salad? She better not steal any other berries from my bag...Oh, and good job Lale! It looks like when you use the whole berry, the attack has more power!"

"_That does seem like the principal of the thing._" Lale shrugged.

"Then I guess we'll have fun then!" Kara replied with a grin, "Alright, everyone heads up! Once you've tossed your berry, get ready to catch another one from me! We're going to keep going till I figure out what the appeal is going to be! Let's go!"

* * *

"He's got the net!" Tasha cheered at the water front of Lake Valor, who was between her Gible and Noel's Blastoise, "Slate, bring that puppy down here!"

Slate, who was atop his Pidgeot, saluted randomly with one hand while the other hand held up one end of the net. The other end was held in his Pidgeot's talons, and the bird spread the tips of its wings and tilted to the right to dip near the water. Water rose from the mini-tornado the two created and Lenze landed on the ground, then crouched to let his trainer off. Slate hopped off and took the rest of the net.

"I like this plan!" He said, "Its eco-friendly! Oh, and where's Noel?"

"He needed to go into town to check on his Gengar, I think." She replied, taking the other end of the net. The ends of the sea net had led balls on the end of it so that if it were to catch a live object, it would weigh them down to the sea floor. Fortunately they could detach the anchors and removed several of them so it'd be easier to carry. After making sure the net was intact, Slate climbed onto his Feraligatr's back while Tasha climbed on Noel's Blastoise's shell.

"What if the net gets full?" Slate wondered as he kicked off his shoes. They landed somewhere in the grass with the other pokémon.

"I don't know, maybe my Gible will eat it. That's how I recycle soda cans whenever the garbage truck doesn't come to town on Tuesday." Tasha replied with a shrug.

"And how will we dodge all the pokémon in the lake?" He continued to barrage her with questions she wasn't prepared to answer.

"Why must you bring up future complications?" She shot back, settling her hands on her hips. "Chomp-chomp, get all the water pokémon out of the water, please." Her Gible began to protest, but she gave him the glare of death that usually worked 95 percent of the time. After muttering to itself that it wasn't even a water pokémon, just based on a land shark, Chomp-chomp dove into the shallow water. Eventually he got to the deeper and darker sections, but as stated before he wasn't a water pokémon and had to resurface.

"Perhaps we should send the water pokémon down instead." Slate wondered while watching Chomp-chomp gasp for air.

"That would be a smart idea, but he's already down there so why bother." Tasha shrugged as her land shark submerged itself again.

Several minutes later pokémon like Psyduck, Golduck, and the occasional legless Goldeen that had to be pulled out by Slate's Nidoking and Ampharos, climbed out of the water. The lake pokémon didn't seem to mind its eviction as the pollution was a big problem to them, and several Gyarados' picked up plastic bags on the way up and out. Even something invisible, which looked like it warped space as it floated, rose from the waters to check everything out; but the two teens didn't seem to notice.

"Is that everyone?" Tasha inquired to her Gible as it resurfaced with a big smile. Chomp-chomp nodded and exited out of the water, and proceeded to shake itself like a dog to get itself dry, which was really irritating Slate's Charizard.

"Whipee! Let's go!" Slate said excitedly, getting the net ready. The four ends were held by Tasha, Barren the Blastoise, Slate, and Jammy the Feraligatr respectively. The water pokémon jetted through the lake quickly, picking up trash like a cob web.

"Hey, I'm back!" Said a voice as they finished gathering the trash from the surface of the lake. They returned to the water front where Noel stood with a few trash bags in hand. "I checked on my Gengar—still sick, but she'll do fine I guess. Oh, and I told the Nurse in the hotel about our task, and she was so proud that she gave me free bags!" He held up the empty trash bags.

"It better be Glad! Those never rip!" Tasha said as the ends of the net were joined to hold all the trash. It was filled up so heavily that if it was a sack full of potatoes it would probably last a mini-city like the Valor Resort for a lifetime.

"Yeah, like the commercial says! 'Don't be mad, get glad'!" Slate added.

"It doesn't matter what brand it is, as long as it holds the crap." Noel shrugged, holding open the bag while assisted by some of the surrounding pokémon.

"Fine; but if it rips, I'm _not _cleaning it up again." Tasha pointed out. She and Slate maneuvered the bag like a spout as they poured the gunk into the bags, filling up almost all of them. Noel stared at the trash accumulated as they finally got rid of all the trash in their net.

"...Wow. I guess I better run into town and throw these things away...plus I have to go to the bathroom" He said, picking up one of the several full trash bags.

"Get some more bags while you're at it!" Tasha called to him as he left with the bag.

"George, Kingston, go help him with the other bags." Slate said, cocking his head to the remaining trash bags. His Charizard and Nidoking nodded and took the leftover bags and hurriedly followed Noel's trail.

Tasha sighed and looked back to the water, spotting little floating objects deeper into the lake. "Well, back to work. How long can you hold your breath?"

"I dunno, thirty seconds maybe..." Slate muttered in confusion.

"Yup, you're going to drown." Tasha concluded as the water pokémon pulled them underwater.

* * *

Blasts of various colors erupted just outside of Valor Resort, and the source of this was a 4-foot lily-pad wearing pokémon. Tiny little fruits were tossed at it, and once it caught the object it used Natural Gift to explode the power within the fruit—it exploded in the shapes of half-orbs, squares, and rings. The Lombre panted, wanting to rest, but the berries kept on coming nonstop.

"I still don't know what to do..." Kara muttered as she tossed another berry over to her Prinplup, who prepared to throw it at the Lombre. "All these images and still nothing..."

"_I'm tired! Can we please STOP?" _Lale gasped, panting while stabilizing herself by putting her palms on her knees. The dark haired girl blinked, because all she heard was 'Lom lombre lombre lom".

"Keep it going, I still haven't thought of anything!"

Lale groaned, almost feeling herself worked to the limit. One more special attack and she might collapse.

"_We have no more berries._" Emporor reported, showing her his empty wings. Lunybuny and Shina did the same with their empty paw/tail coil.

"Wha—oh shoot, don't tell me I used them all..." Kara opened her berry sack and felt around it, but it was empty. She groaned and collapsed her back onto the tree again, then said, "Just rest then. I need to think."

Lale let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground as well. Shina trotted over to her and curiously poked her with her tail, and with no response, plopped onto the grass and yawned.

"Let's see...we could do something with Natural Gift..." Kara began to formulate things out loud, placing her thumb under her chin as she thought. Her Prinplup poked her shoulder and she turned quickly to see why he was interrupting her thinking process. "Yea Emp?"

"_Did you decide who's in the battle round?_" He inquired. She blinked, assuming that's what he said anyway.

"Hmm...I guess I'm using Lun for the battle round." She answered. The Buneary hopped up in glee as she heard her name and started doing a victory dance.

"_What? But she's been in all of them!_" Emp protested.

"What are you getting at?" Kara wondered, "What, do you _want _to be in the Contest? Last time I did that...yeah, it wasn't really our _best _moments."

"_You ALWAYS use Lun and Shina and Lale for the contests! Maybe I want to be in it too!" _He argued. His trainer blinked again, only seeing an enraged penguin flapping its wings as if it was trying to fly.

"Well...I GUESS we can use you for the contest...I mean sheesh, you are pretty strong, let me see your moves." She waved him off to distance him as she pulled out her pokédex. The female pokémon watched with interest.

"_How come HE gets to be in the contest? My spotlight was stolen from me last time!_" Lun whined from beside Shina and Lale.

"_He's part of the team too; it wouldn't be fair if he didn't get a chance to fight too._" Lale reasoned.

"_Easy for you to say, you're automatically the appealer in this team!" _Lun shot back.

"Shush you two please, I can't concentrate!" Kara yelled from her spot at the tree. "Let's see...Emporor knows Shadow Claw, Metal Claw, Bubblebeam, and Peck. Hmm..." She looked over to the tree that her Prinplup placed himself in front of. "Can someone check if there's something in that tree he's by?" She said to the others, fearing they might run into Beedrills or other bugs later.

Shina's eyes trailed up to the tree and she used her ability to see through objects to find that there was nothing in any of the surrounding trees. "_Empty._" She responded.

"Goody!" Their ever-chipper trainer chirped, and stood on her feet to get ready to command moves. "Alright Emp, let me see Shadow Claw!"

Emp raised one of his wings above his head as it began to glow an eerie violet. The glow began to smoke as if it were embers on a blew out candle, then the smoke began to take form into a gangly hand, tipped with dangerously sharp claws.

"Can't you do it like you did in the battle with the creepy veteran?" His trainer inquired, staring at the 'shadow claw' he was wielding.

"_That was more of a onetime thing._" Emp scoffed, crossing his arms. The eerie purple smoke faded away after loss of concentration.

"Fine fine, we'll work with what we've got." She replied with the same scoff. The other pokémon rolled their eyes knowingly at their stubbornness. "Metal Claw on those trees you're between!"

"_But then Lale will get mad at me._" Emp protested.

"Then she'll turn around! Just go." Kara deadpanned, shooting a look at her Lombre, who turned around anyway. Emp took a breath, then the next second, the tips of his wings glimmered silver. The rest of his wings were engulfed in a silver light, and he span on his toes quickly, making the trees give a sickening sound as their barks were sliced in half. Both trees fell backwards.

"_YOU are the reason of deforestation!" _Lale roared, hopping up and pointing an accusing finger at Emporor.

"_Get over it; we're in a friggin' forest! There are MORE trees!" _He shot back, only blades of grass covering the ground between them. He pointed a steel wing at her dangerously, like he was ready to do what he did to the trees to her.

"_Watch where you point those dorsal appendages!"_

"_They're called WINGS!"_

"_Yeah, CHICKEN wings!" _Lale shot back.

"Hey you two, quit bickering! I can't understand you when you're talking so fast!" Kara intervened, extending her arms between the two. "We have a contest to worry about! We can worry about the fate of the planet later!"

Emp stuck his tongue at Lale, who narrowed her eyes at him. If she had one berry left, she would've declared war.

* * *

Back at the lake, Tasha and Slate were finishing up with the trash and were dumping the remains into the trash bags that were already filled. Noel hadn't returned yet so they had to resort to recycling. Other spots of the lake, like the parts near the resort, went on untouched because it was getting dark, and frankly they didn't feel like going there. Since it was so close to civilization, those spots most likely had the most trash, and they had already had their fill of gross wet garbage for the day.

"Where the hell is Noel with those bags?" Tasha groaned as she tied the bags shut. Slate was taking a seat with the pokémon.

"Give him some time, he'll be back." Slate reassured.

"It's been half an hour!" She shrieked, "And need I remind you that he has your Nidoking and Charizard?"

He shrugged and began to pet his Grotle, who was holding Noel's Turtwig on top of his shell.

"_Shh shh, we need to take some samples."_ A voice whispered somewhere in the bushes far from the duo, so they heard nothing. The pokémon instead began to look around in confusion.

"_Can't, there are children around..._" Whispered another voice close to the previous voice.

"_You pervert, stop thinking about raping them! All we need is a little bit of water from the cave Azelf could be in, then Neptune will quit bugging us about it! I wonder how Mars is doing with the Lake Verity project."_

"_I was not thinking about THAT, I was merely pondering on fiddling with their flesh."_

"_Shut up Saturn; let's just wait for them to leave."_

"_Whatever Jupiter."_

Tasha raised her eyebrow, hearing a tiny bit of little whispers. She heard words, but she couldn't paste them together. Slowly she climbed off one of the bags she was sitting on, and searched for her Gible, who was sitting at her feet. "I think we should go." She stated.

"Shouldn't we wait for Noel?" Slate inquired, his head resting on another trash bag.

"No; he probably forgot about us anyway." She replied, taking the bottom of one of the trash bags and heaving it up, "Now be a manservant and carry all these bags."

Slate sighed and relieved it from her. "Yes ma'am..."

After collecting the bags, the two and the remaining pokémon left the clearing. A few seconds after they left, two figures ran across the clearing to the edge of the water, a few test tubes in hand.

* * *

_It was immensely bright where they were—it was almost like a fantasy dream. Every time she turned to the sky, she would be blinded and have to force her eyes onto a different shade of yellow—luckily there was a young man with her in the field of grass they were sitting in that provided a calm yellow gaze. Far to their right were a river and a bridge that crossed it, while behind them was a medieval castle with glass walls on certain levels._

"_So you're a princess in your dreams?" Inquires Edgar as Kara fiddles with a flower in between her fingers. She was clad in an innocent white dress that was so tight that it could've passed as a bathing suit, while he was in a white soldier suit with silver shoulder pads. A Beautifly passed them. _

"_Pfft no." She laughed from her spot on the grass, lying on her stomach. "I'm the DICTATOR." Her face flashed to a moment of dead seriousness._

"_Ah, so no balls where you can wear pretty dresses?" He asks, picking at strands of her hair that liked to dangle on top of the flowers crushed below her._

"_Nope, just a whip and people to crack it at." She replied, destroying the flower in her hand with her fist. She dusted her fingers off, then swapped from lying on her stomach to sitting Indian style. _

"_Scary. You won't do that with me right?" He lifts his eyebrows and his eyes were filled with amusement._

"_Watch yourself and you might survive." She smiled playfully. There was a sound of galloping, and someone in metal-knight armor arrived on top of a Rapidash._

"_I hate wearing this crap; I think I'm melting to my horse!" Cried the rider of the horse._

"_Oh shush you." Kara snapped, still smiling. The rider uncapped his helmet to reveal to be Kalib. "What the...the knight in armor is usually Cody." She pouted, sharing a disappointed look with Edgar. _

"_Cody's here? I better skedaddle then." Kalib said, placing his helmet back on. _

"_No...Stay here!" Kara said, "Noel's bringing snacks!"_

_Just as she said it, Noel came prancing into the meadow in a butler suit, carrying a silver platter in one hand topped with cups of ice cream._

"_This sucks! How come I have to be the servant?" He whined, giving the three the cups on his platter._

"_Because I'm the dictator of this land and I said so!" She retorted. _

"_I hope this place gets bombed by Japan...wherever this is." Noel muttered, looking around, wondering where the hell he was. _

"_At least you're not the knight in shining armor..." Kalib grumbled while rolling his eyes._

"_HEY! It was supposed to be Cody alright?" Kara snapped, hopping onto her barefoot feet, "I don't know why things are whacked up! Hopefully Kayla is still rotting in the dungeon..."_

"_Oh, and why is Shawn the flower girl?" Kalib asked, jerking his thumb behind him where his twin was skipping around in a pretty dress while scattering flowers around from the basket hanging on his forearm._

"_...I don't really know. He's more of a background character." Kara muttered in response. A blue pokémon flew past them, glitter and sparkles trailing its path._

"_What was that?" Edgar said, excellently hiding his astonishment, "Do you always have legendaries in your dream?"_

"_Yeah, they're always in the background with Shawn though...weird." Kara replied, gazing at the spot the creature once was._

"_Wake up! You need to start planning for your contest!" Noel suddenly says, shaking her shoulders._

"_No! Let me dawdle in my dreamland!" She retorts immediately, "Now go be a good servant and...And...And catch that blue fairy thing!" She pointed at the creature that had crossed them seconds ago and was now sitting on the grass like a plushy. _

"_On it!" He said, taking out a net out of nowhere. He ran at the creature, which didn't move a bit, and slapped the net over it. Kara and Kalib instantly dropped, as if things that happen to the creature synced with them. _

"_What the—" Kara looked around, blinking, but after every blink a thing changes. Edgar disappeared at first, then the ground turned from grass to snow, then everything was set on fire. The final blink and she could see nothing more. She shivered and opened her eyes one more time..._

The Luxio stared at her trainer, who had fallen asleep under a tree after her Prinplup and Lombre began to fight again and couldn't regain control. She poked Kara with her tail, but her trainer just shivered and swatted her tail away.

"_Hey guys, I think Kara's broken._" Shina whined to the others.

"_Trees have feelings! You can't just treat them like dirt!_" Lale argued to Emp, still ignoring their friend.

"_Must I repeat myself? We are in a FOREST. There is a surplus of trees left!" _Emp screeched back.

"_Not if you keep attacking them like practice dummies!" _Lale shot back.

"_SHUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUP!_" Shina roared, and literally used _Roar_. Her friends were blown into another tree. After recuperating from the attack, they both glared at their friend. "_I SAID, Kara's broken!_"

"_She's not broken Shina, she's just asleep._" Lale said calmly, returning to her gentle nature.

"_Frankly I like it better when she's asleep because it's always much quieter." _Emp shrugged. Lun woke up after hearing their argument and hopped over to Kara, who was sleeping on her side, and jumped onto her trainer's ribcage.

"_You guys dare me to see how far my feet will go into her ribs?" _Lun smirked devilishly.

"_No, don't do that, it's wrong!" _Shina whined.

"_Do it, it'll be fun" _Emp said, his smile matching his Buneary friend. Before Lale and Shina could stop her, Lun leapt up into the air, then landed on Kara's side. Their trainer gasped and instantly woke up, shifting off the ground to catch her breath.

"What—the—heck?" She shrieked between gasps, rubbing her side. Having a powerful rabbit jump on your tender spots isn't exactly comfortable.

"_Lun did it" _Everyone pointed accusingly at the rabbits. Lun blushed and used her ears to cover her face.

"Television networks were right, rabbits are evil" Kara muttered, staggering off the ground. She picked up her bag and assembled the pokémon's pokéballs. "Time to go back to town...Come on" She stifled a yawn while reaching for one of the orbs.

"_Wait! I don't want to go back to that dark abyss!_" Shina whined.

"Too bad, it's too risky to leave you guys out." Kara shrugged, and returned everyone except Shina into their pokéballs in a flash without even getting to hear their protests. The Luxio let out a sigh of relief when she realized she wouldn't have to return to her pokéball anytime soon.

"_Where are we going?_" Shina inquires as they head back to the resort.

"Need to find someone with money..." Kara muttered, grimacing as she sounded like a gold digger. They arrived at the gate and she looked around the streets for someone familiar. Her eyes lit up when she found her thick boned friend in an alley a few feet away, finishing a shady trade with someone else involving glass bottles. "Maria!" She called, running over.

Said girl turned her head, carrying three bottles. "Oh hey Kara! Drinks are covered." She smiled, gesturing to the bottles in her arms. Then she shook her head when she realized who she was talking to and quickly recovered by stammering, "I-I mean, I'm buying this for someone else! Yeah."

Kara stared at the bottles. "I'm not a witness if you're sued for drunken battery." She stated. "Now...have you bought my present yet?"

Maria searched her head the answer. "Hmm...Not yet, why?"

Kara grinned, shifting side to side. "Oh no reason...Your just part of my next brilliant plan which involves _your_ money..."

"Oh crap." Maria muttered, almost dropping one of her drinks.

* * *

The next day arrived quickly, and as the sun rose it immediately began to burn Noel's hair because of the way the glass magnified the rays. He was still asleep, but after a few seconds of smelling his shampoo his eyes snapped open.

"CRAP! CRAP! NEED WATER!" He shrieked, attempting to pat his hair down, but that only ended up in him getting burned. He yelped and hopped on his feet as if the wooden floor was burning too, and hurriedly detached a pokéball off the belt on the nightstand next to the bed and popped it open. His Blastoise emerged with a raised eyebrow and amused grin.

"_This happens to you every morning doesn't it._" Barren joked, pointing at his burning scalp.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! I'M LOSING HAIR FOLICLES AS WE SPEAK!" Noel shrieked, and the guns to his Blastoise pumped out of its shell. Water shot out of both bazookas at full blast, knocking Noel into the window above his bed. The water pressure died down and the young red head crumpled onto his mattress and assumed fetal position, momentarily pausing to grab his hat from under his pillow and pull it over his head.

"_Noel, your head wasn't even burning._" His Blastoise scoffed, crossing his stubby turtle arms.

"It was, it was, I'm sorry for grabbing the newly baked cookies mama you don't have to stuff my head into the hot oil..." Noel began to whisper hysterically, rocking in his fetal position and shaking like it was December. Barren sighed and effortlessly picked up his owner in the tightly wound up position he was in, then slid into the bathroom and stuffed Noel into the shower. He turned the dial, then closed the curtains and left the room.

"_I can't wait till he gets a girlfriend so this won't be my daily routine." _Barren grumbled. A shriek came from the bathroom, which probably meant that Noel woke up from his day-nightmare.

"Why am I in the shower with clothes on? This is so unproductive!" He whined. The echo of pitter-patter ceased and the red head emerged from the bathroom dripping wet. His pokémon chuckled. "I'll remember this in 20 years when you have little Squirtle babies" Noel muttered, grabbing his bag and returning to the bathroom. The lock to the door clicked shut. "I'm selling your babies on EBay Barren, you remember that!"

After an almost peaceful shower, Noel exited the bathroom happily dryer. He looked around, noticing his female companion's bed was empty, and her pokéballs were missing as well.

"Hey Barren, was Kara here earlier?" He asked his Blastoise, who was amusing itself by reading one of the old magazines lying around in a book rack by the door.

"_Nope._" Barren shook his head.

"Hn. Well then I guess she's already at the lake with the others." Noel muttered, checking his PokéGear for the time. It was a half hour before 10. "AH! VISITOR HOURS! LET'S GO!" He shrieked, grabbing Barren's pokéball off his belt. After returning the giant turtle into its ball, he scurried out of the room and down the spiral runway to the front of the hotel. He panted while continuously ringing Nurse Joy's desk bell, although she was right there in front of him.

She clamped her hand over his to stop the ringing. "Noel, is there a reason why I already know your name from other past Joys in the region?"

"I'm famous" Noel winked cockily, "Any who; can I see my Gengar now? Pretty please? I promise to stop bugging you!"

The Nurse sweat dropped. "I doubt you can keep that promise, but alright. This way" She led him to the elevator and used a key to get it open, then pressed a secret button that he probably wasn't even paying attention to notice. After a short period of waiting, they arrived to the bottom level filled with glass walls and glass doors so you could see past them to the pokémon that were treated. The hallway was wide and near the back split into two dark hallways that led to the surgery rooms, no glass anything.

"GENJI!" Noel shrieked, locating his Gengar in one of the glass rooms. He bounded over to the door and wrestled with the doorknob, but couldn't get it open. He groaned and peered inside, seeing that his ghost was breathing heavily and had several IV wires planted into her skin. How they didn't phase through its skin was a mystery. "No no nooo! She's supposed to be better!" He whined, tapping on the glass. Luckily Genji wasn't submerged in water or that would've been irritating.

"Noel, please stop." Nurse Joy sighed. "Your Gengar needs rest...the rest you haven't been providing, sadly."

Noel gasped, putting on his offended face. "What 'chu talkin' 'bout Nurse?"

The Nurse narrowed her eyes at him. "The Nurse at Veilstone strictly said to stay in that town till your Gengar was fully recovered, and you went against orders and left. Pokémon cannot heal in their pokéballs with this kind of sickness Noel; her fever has sky-rocketed, and it might take weeks now to fully recover."

"_Weeks_?" He repeated, "I can't stay here that long! I have a Gym to get to!"

"You should've thought of that before you started moving on the road again." Nurse Joy shot back. "The only solution I see that will benefit both of you is if you send her home."

"...Home?" He grimaced as the word rolled off his tongue. Home wasn't as 'homey' as his friends' homes were, and just thinking about it brought back bad memories. As he wasn't one of the abused kids, he was one of the lonely ones whose parent's never had time for him. Gradually his dad left, and his mother was all that he had, but she always took business trips out of the region, and he didn't want to leave his Gengar at home with his Dodrio. That was just wrong. Home was the last thing on his mind, and the last thing he wanted was to return to it.

"It's your only option I'm afraid. Is there something wrong with that?" The Nurse lifted an eyebrow.

"...No...Well...The transfer lines to Sunyshore are frozen, so I don't think it'll work." He muttered in response.

"It's either you or your pokémon, Noel. Contemplate over it." She replied, and started to leave towards the elevator, but waited for him at the doors. Noel sighed and pressed his head against the glass.

"Genji...I wish I could do something more..."

* * *

After his short visit to his Gengar, Noel arrived at the lake around 10:30, and arrived to a dead party. People and pokémon were floating in the water, music was on full blast, and there was a snack table nearby, but the hype was just gone.

"Umm...hey? What's going on here?" He asked no one in particular while edging to the side of the lake. Alta swam over, leaving her Gyarados to side.

"It's kinda boring here, people started to leave." She shrugged. "Edgar and his bratty friend came over, but they left like five minutes afterwards. Don delivered the chocolate fountain, then left! I think I saw that Lexi girl pop her head in the bushes, but she's not here. Kara's friends, the models and the girl with the Gible, are here...but they're just in their own little world splashing over there." She pointed to the three acting like idiots in the water. "And Slate's here...but I think he drowned already." She shrugged.

"Just great..." He replied, "Wait...Where's Kara?" He checked the water, but none of her pokémon were here, and it's kind of hard to miss a tan/purple haired short person.

"Dunno, she never showed up..." Alta muttered.

"Crap, is she missing again?" Noel groaned, face palming, "Alta, I'm in need of your stalking abilities again. Where is she?"

"HEY!...Well...I dunno. She has eluded me." The stalker sighed and pulled herself under the water to hide embarrassment.

"It can't be Veilstone AGAIN!" He shrieked, then looked to the familiar trio of dark skinned girls who were using a Skitty as an inflatable device. "HEY! Tasha, Ravenn, other girl whose name I don't know, where the hell is Kara?" He called.

"I don't know! Haven't seen her all morning!" Ravenn replied, waving a rail-skinny arm.

"Same!" Tasha added, "I looked for her in all the candy stores this morning but no luck!"

The two girls and Noel looked expectantly at Maria, who hadn't spoken yet.

"Well I...I might know where she is..."

"WHAT? Don't just float there, TELL US!" Tasha said, splashing her friend. Noel strained his ears to hear.

"Yesterday she asked me to order her a dress from Sevii Islands, and she picked it up this morning at the post office! Fed Ex is pretty fast." Maria shrugged.

"Urg...I can't believe she's skipping out on swimming! I was going to force her into a bikini!" Ravenn groaned.

"Yeah, that's great. I need to go find her! She might miss the Contest!" Noel said, running towards the end of the clearing, completely forgetting about the party.

"Wait for me!" Tasha said, speed swimming towards the edge of the lake. Luckily her swimsuit was a two-piece, the second piece being shorts. She took her towel off the ground and slipped on some flip-flops, then hurriedly followed Noel towards the resort.

They got to the resort gates in record time, and Noel looked around the streets in case their friend could be walking on it.

"Alright, I'll go ask around to see if anyone's seen her, you go check the post office." He said to Tasha, who agreed and parted him for said building. He parted towards the hotel, and once inside, and ran up the spiral walkway to the second floor that wrapped around the elevator, then remembered that he had no idea where he was going and slid back down to the first floor and banged on Nurse Joy's desk.

"What is it now Noel?" The Nurse groaned.

"Alexis Schiffer's room?" He prodded.

"I can't just give away private information like that." She replied smartly.

"But she could be holding a hostage!" He whined, checking the time on his PokéGear again. It was almost 12. The Contest would be starting soon.

The Nurse sighed and began to click thing on her computer. "Room 216..."

"Thanks!" He said with a grin, then dashed up the spiral walkway again, nearly tripping, which would've sent him rolling back to the lobby. Luckily he got to the second floor in peace and checked the door numbers before finally coming to Lexi's door. He banged on it as hard as he could, but something blue popped through the door, making him yelp and fall on the floor.

A Misdreavus glared at him from half-way through the door.

"Hey, tell Lexi to open this door." He snapped. The ghost pokémon bit its lip before turning around and floating back into the room. Seconds later the door was opened by a short multicolored haired girl.

Lexi sighed and crossed her arms. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick you right now."

"Let me in dammit! I know you're harboring Kara again!" He replied, jumping onto his feet. He towered over her by at least a foot.

"Am not, now leave me alone." She spat, backing into the doorway. Before she could shut the door, he jammed his leg in the way.

"I can't find her!" He yelled, "She has a contest to go to! You hiding her would just be step 1 on picking away the competition!"

"I'm not entering the contest today, idiot." She spat, opening the door since he was blocking it. "I'm here to relax, not work."

"Oh, so I see Kayla beating you in Veilstone really humiliated you out there." He smirked as her cheeks flushed.

"I've been beaten by one-hit wonders before; it's not a big deal." She replied, looking down to her feet. "Anyway, your friend isn't here. I'm sorry."

After hearing a sincere apology from this usually rude-acquaintance, Noel had to believe that Kara wasn't here after all. He sighed and looked down to his PokéGear again. Tasha had sent him a text saying that Kara wasn't at the post office either, so he turned to Lexi who was still waiting for him to leave.

"If you're not going to be in the Contest...will you at least sit with the rest of us in the stands?" He pleaded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Lexi contemplated, her arms still crossed as if she was mad. "Is Kara's gay pink haired friend with the nose ring going to be there?"

Noel grinned. "Nope, Kalib's under house arrest in Veilstone."

Lexi finally grinned along with him. "Fine. Let me grab my hoodie and I'll go."

* * *

The Contest was finally under way, and the audience was filled with Noel, Tasha, Ravenn, Maria, Alta, Slate, Don, Lexi, Cody, Edgar, and plenty of other people we don't know. Alta and Don were doing the same as Lexi and decided not to enter today's contest. After the introductions, the first person was announced to go on stage.

"_Please put your hands together for our first performer, Kara Ryka!_" The MC announced. The clean version of 'Tonight' by Enrique Iglesias boomed throughout the coliseum.

"Is she there? Can you see her?" Slate asked, moving his head around.

"Move your head Slate, I can't see!" Noel whined, doing the same as his friend.

Backstage, a familiar figure fiddled with the instruments in her hand. A pokéball was gripped in the right, while two maracas were shaking uncontrollably on the left. A blue ballet slipper entered the light of the stage.

_There's no doubt this time we're ready...This time the ribbon is mine! _

And with that, the figure stepped into the spotlight.


	41. Showcase Shivers

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 33**  
Showcase Shivers 

* * *

"Lale, Time in!"

Out popped the rain dish-topped pokémon as the first verse of the song playing over the stadium commenced. Clouds brewed in from the seal on Lale's pokéball, creating a short tornado to spin around her. Lale and Kara both had festive Mexican themes on them; Lale had on a ruffle sash while Kara's costume composed of an ankle length blue skirt with Mexican ruffles on the side, and a Mexican top that tied around the chest with huge ruffles for sleeves. On her head was a bandana with different types of berries adorning it.

"...Well, this is new." Noel commented from the stands. The others nodded in agreement.

"I wonder why she picked a Mexican theme." Edgar said, a bit more interested in the performance now.

"Lale, use Mist!"

Lale took a deep breath, inhaling some of the fog below her feet as well, and blew out a stream of white smoke that coiled above the stage like a snake.

"Now jump up in there and use Natural Gift!"

While swaying to the beat, Lale hopped into the air as high as she could. A berry came her way and she took it and closed her eyes, then both the berry and she burst into green light. The steam evaporated as vines began to penetrate it.

"Keep it going!" Kara called, ripping more berries off her bandana. One by one the berries exploded into different colors and elements, making it look almost like a rainbow. The crowd 'ooh'ed and 'aww'ed at the display, making the two grin. As the end of the song began to play, Kara untied her bandana and threw it towards Lale, who caught it and tied it around her lily pad. "Now use Absorb!"

The colors still lingering in the air from past Natural Gifts swept onto Lale's body, covering her in a rainbow-ish glow. "Now, the last Natural Gift!"

_BOOM! _

Everyone squinted as winds whipped at their hair and blinding light met their eyes. Colors and shapes past by so fast the mix made every color possible, and the two bowed as the colors faded away. They turned to the judges.

"..." Ella Contesta continued to gape.

"Pretty." Jarret Sukizo commented, patting his fellow awestruck judge's shoulder.

"Interesting theme, not many people go with rainbows and...Spanish music." Nurse Joy sweat dropped. The two nodded and fled off stage. When reaching the end of the hallway to the backstage waiting area, Kara squealed and high fived her pokémon.

"We did it! Woo!"

"_Yes, I was surprised with how well that went._" Lale nodded.

Things still haven't calmed down, but they tried to hold in their excitement as they entered the lobby. The menacing glares calmed them both quickly. The whole room, filled with the competition, was staring at both of them with a combination of disgust and envy. Whenever some sets the bar high like they just did, it's just never pretty inside the waiting room. Luckily as they went to get a seat, no one came over to cause a commotion.

Well, that was until a certain dark green haired girl stomped over.

"Hide, it's the troll" Kara whispered to Lale. Before the Lombre could follow orders, she was sucked into her pokéball.

"Hey plumule_._" Kayla sneered as she finally reached the purple haired girl. Kayla's afro bobbed as her heels finally settled on the linoleum floor, and her costume was a bit too provocative for little children in the audience. Let's just say that it was the same color as her skin tone.

Kara raised an eyebrow. "_Plumule_? Is that supposed to be my nickname?" _Seriously, it's like purple isn't even a common hair color anymore. Get over it. _

Kayla ignored her and placed a hand on her hip, her fake nails glistening as she drummed them over her costume. "So, I see your back in the game. A bit confident are we?"

Kara could feel herself shrink under Kayla's knowing blue gaze. Why was she so intimidating? And did they ever declare themselves friends? If they ever were, their relationship had quickly dropped down to rivals once she finished her cold sentence.

"…Well, I'm confident that my Pokémon will do a good job, if that's what you mean." Kara replied in a low voice, feeling a bit short as she was sitting and Kayla was standing. Even if she stood up she would still be at a height disadvantage because Kayla was wearing hooker heels and Kara was in ballet flats.

Kayla scoffed, rolling her eyes and looking at something in the distance at the same time. "Confident in your Pokémon huh? Sounds like an indirect white flag to me."

"…What?" This time Kara stood on her feet, still confused at the most.

Kayla didn't take this as a threat, not one bit. "Your Pokémon haven't exactly carried you far, have they? You've been at this contest thing for a while and you're still holding that one ribbon…such a shame…" She didn't seem the least bit sympathetic.

"You only have one ribbon too." Kara shot back.

"Wrong!" Kayla sang, her eyebrows shooting up happily at her rivals shocked expression. "I have _two _ribbons!" To prove her point, she turned to her side where two ribbons hung, attached to her costume. One was the color of royal blue with a diamond in the middle, and the second one was glittering gold with a silver gem fastening it together.

"But…where?" Kara gasped, staring at both ribbons. They were both so beautiful, much cooler then the single ribbon that she held. The Floaroma ribbon, which was disdainfully pink and red with a pearl holding it together, was trash compared to the ones Kayla had.

"Veilstone for the blue one, some other town that I can't remember the name to was the gold one. Jealous yet?"

Kara refused to admit that to Kayla's gigantic smirk. The last thing she wanted to do was feed an ego, so she did what she did best—she said nothing. Kayla just cackled with a triumphant smile on her face, then span around as she heard her name called on the intercom.

"Show time!" She said, exiting towards the stage. Kara glared after her, silently wishing that looks could kill.

* * *

"Ooh, who's next, who's next?" Slate asked hyperactively as he jumped in his seat like a chipmunk. Lexi, who was seated in the chair directly above him, placed her feet on his shoulders to keep him from moving.

"One wrong move and I clock your nose." She spat demandingly. He whimpered and settled down, just as the current contestant onstage left the platform. Noel thanked his lucky stars that he was sitting next to the deadly young female and not directly below her, so the most she could probably do from this angle was elbow him in the ribs, and he's been through worse.

"Hey, Kayla's up next." Noel said mostly towards Edgar and Cody, who were near Slate.

"Eh, wake me up when someone wins the ribbon." Cody shrugged, and began to shift in his seat to get a comfortable resting position.

"Wow, what a supportive boyfriend you are..." Noel replied in a low voice, but Cody shrugged indifferently. Edgar twitched at that, although not many people noticed. The house lights dimmed again and the lights that sat at the edge of the curtain flared on.

"_Here comes our next contestant, Kayla Wakeman of Sunyshore City!" _A brown figure darted on stage, rolling to the middle like a raisin that was falling to the edge of a tilted plate. As she reached the middle of the stage, where a printed ribbon sat, she hiked her heels into the floor to stop rolling.

"Whoa, she should be a contortionist." Noel commented as Kayla placed her leg over her shoulder to dig her heel into the ground.

"What are those ribbons on her side?" Slate wondered, pointing to the ribbons blatantly glittering under the spotlight.

"One of those is the one from Veilstone." Edgar answered, eyes glued to the female onstage.

"And the gold one?" Noel prodded.

"She bought it." Edgar shrugged in response.

"Wow, will that pass for the Grand Festival?" Slate asked with a raised eyebrow. Meanwhile, while Kayla was in a difficult looking position, she tossed a pokéball up with her free hand. The pokémon that popped out was her Eevee named Baine. Baine assumed the same weird form that Kayla was locked in.

"It won't...It's just for bragging rights." Edgar finally said.

"What good would that do?" Noel wondered.

"She's such a fake." Lexi muttered while shaking her head.

"Sand Attack" Kayla said, neither a yell loud enough to be heard by everyone but not quiet enough to qualify as a whisper. Baine span out of his position, dragging dirt with him. Although there was no sand on the ground, apparently they were able to gather some as sand sprayed out from under the Eevee. Kayla did the same, spinning out of her wound up position, and landed on her heels, but sitting on the ground like a frog. "Fake Tears!"

Her Eevee began to wail, little tears falling off his eyes in the process and making the sand below damp. The audience went 'aww...'.

"Don't cry! I'm a rowboat to your tears!" Kayla said frantically. She flipped over to her back with her feet under her so she was on her knees, then lied down with her head on the ground, her afro cushioning her. Her arms wrapped around her sides, making her look like a boat.

"Damn, her boney ligaments make Ravenn look fat." Tasha commented from the right of Cody. Ravenn, who was between her and Maria, gasped and said 'Hey!', but she knew Tasha was right.

"I don't see how this is an appeal..." Lexi muttered as Kayla's Eevee began to push her across the stage. They gained a lot of speed because of the sand, and Baine jumped on his owner's torso and rode her like a surfboard. The crowd cheered like it was a football game.

"Well, it's not flashy, but it shows something..." Noel said while nodding at Lexi's previous comment.

"It's improvement, considering she was thinking of an act containing knives." Edgar said from below him. The way his face looked made it seem like he wasn't impressed at all by the performance.

"Now use Sandy Helping Hand!" Kayla said as the two quickly returned to the middle of the stage. Baine rolled into the sand from earlier, then his paws began to glow as he clapped them together. A spotlight shone above them and particles of sand rained down. The crowd cheered again, and Kayla smirked and bowed under the spotlight.

The judges swapped looks.

"...Was there _anything _going on during this thing?" Ella Contesta muttered.

"Remarkably...confusing..." Jarret Sukizo shivered.

"Everything else that led up to the raining sand was okay...we'll see how far you go." Nurse Joy sweat dropped. Kayla huffed and turned swiftly off her heel, then exited the stage with her Eevee.

Noel clapped loudly, looking very bored. "Oh. Yes. FINALLY! SHE'S DONE!"

Lexi slapped the back of her hand on his chest, and he coughed at that. "Be polite. She lost with honor." She snapped. Noel whimpered and stayed quiet like Slate.

* * *

Kara and her Prinplup stared at the flat screen TV hanging from the ceiling.

"Well...that's unique." She chuckled, allowing a sweat drop to fall from her forehead. Emp, who was only tall enough to reach the slit in her skirt, rolled his eyes at the screen and took a seat on the floor.

"_Eh, we're winning this thing hands down. Kayla was terrible!"_

"She was actually pretty good..." She opposed while fiddling with the ruffles on her costume. "I wouldn't be surprised if she made it to the second round."

"That's right! Don't doubt my skills!"

Kara cringed as Kayla returned to the waiting room, having heard everything they said. Kayla strutted past the other contestants, giving them a very confident look as she made her way to Kara and her Prinplup.

"Well, the results are in, so we'll see." Kara shrugged, moving to the side discreetly by an inch. The screen showed a list of all the contestants, all in word form. Names started to disappear and shift till all that were left were eight names.

"_Told ya we'd make it._" Emp nodded as he pointed to Kara's name and ID number, listed in 2nd place.

"Ha! I knew I'd make it! Take that suckers!" Kayla cheered, and began to run around the waiting room and high-fived other contestants, who were reluctant to return her pep.

"You made it, barely." Kara deadpanned, staring at Kayla's name in eighth place.

"Doesn't matter, I'm still up there!" Kayla smirked and began to do her own little victory dance.

Kara face palmed and span on her shoes. "It's getting stuffy in here...Come on Emp." With that, the two exited the waiting room towards the hallway where it was a bit less egotistical. Emp padded forward, and unsure where he was heading, his trainer followed. Soon they arrived at the balcony that overlooked the lake.

"Slow—down!" She panted as she reached the balcony. "Whoooooa...that's a lot of water."

"_Do ever you say anything intelligent_?" Scoffed her pokémon.

"Ah, shush you blue penguin. I return to school next month."

"_...What?_"

She blinked when she realized what she said and frantically began to come up with an excuse. "Uh—um—y-you know, school! Books! They'll be sending the curriculum in little packets...you know...so I don't get stupid over my journey?"

"_There really isn't much to save I'm afraid._" Emp sighed.

"H-hey! I'm not stupid! I was the top kid in my class ya know!"

"_Special Ed class I bet._"

She was beginning to get pretty frustrated here. "Now you be quiet! You don't know _that _much about me Emporor! Just because you seem smart doesn't mean I seem stupid!"

"_So you are stupid?"_

"I'm ready to throw you over this railing right now, you know." She grumbled, her hands curling into fists.

Emp rolled his eyes. "_Oh please, you're too goody-goody to do that._" He expected her face to drop and start admitting he was right, but to his surprise, she held her stance. She took a step closer, and on instinct he backed up a step.

"Cool off that attitude of yours!" She shrieked. After pulling out his pokéball from the belt under the waistline of her skirt, he was engulfed in a red light, returning back to his ball. Frustrated, she chucked his pokéball over the rail. After a satisfactory _splash_, she turned on her heel and returned to the waiting room.

The red and white object sank to the bottom of the lake. A blue figure with two bejeweled tails swam to the item, then after examining the creature inside without needing to open it, the figure claimed the object and rose to the surface.

* * *

"Do they see it?"

"They can't find it!" Noel replied to Slate frantically. The Contest was still going on, and Kara, still angry with her pokémon, ordered the two to fetch her pokémon from the lake instead of doing it herself. The two waited on the balcony as they observed their water pokémon search the water for Emporor's pokéball, but it's been ten minutes without results and the battle rounds would begin soon. This was not going well for them.

"Someone's going to have to jump in there and search for it themselves." Slate analyzed while peering into the dark waters.

"Thanks for volunteering!" Noel said, and lifted him up and tossed him over the railing. Slate yelped and belly-flopped into the water, and you could tell it was one because when he landed on the water his stomach gave a loud _POP!_. Noel cringed as Slate resurfaced. "Ooh, that's gonna hurt...Just shake it off man, just shake it off!"

"Yeah, because that _always _works when you're treading in water." Slate muttered. He climbed onto his Feraligatr's back after calling for it, then the two dove under for the search. Noel boredly waited for the two to resurface, and after a few seconds, decided to jump the rail too. After his cannonball into the water, he and his Blastoise joined Slate to searching for Emporor's pokéball.

Unfortunately they found nothing but sand and disappointment. They also discovered panic once they heard that the second round had started. Hurriedly they returned to the Contest hall and one of them, that one being Noel, ran backstage and found Kara impatiently waiting behind the curtain with her opponent. The battle on stage was drawing to a close and she was next.

"What the heck took you so long? I was worried I might have to use a different pokémon!" She hissed. It was dark backstage so he couldn't see her blazing silver eyes or flaring nostrils.

"Well uh...about that..." He stalled, and took a pokéball off his belt and held it up to her face. She beamed, believing it to be her Prinplup's, and happily accepted it. Kayla emerged victorious in her battle and pranced past the duo with her Shuppet, while the one who lost was just sighing like Eeyore.

"Pray that I win!" She chirped as she disappeared to the stage with her opponent. Noel stepped into some of the light coming from the curtains and checked his pokéballs, then whistled when he realized who he'd given to her.

"Crap...I gave her Hound..."

"5 MINUTES ON THE CLOCK; BEGIN!"

Noel peered past the curtains, wincing when he heard Kara's regular 'Time In!' followed by a stutter when a certain devil dog appeared on the stage instead of the penguin she was expecting.

"Wh-what the..._Hound_? How—oh Noel you're going to be bald starting midnight..." Kara grumbled. Noel yelped as he heard her and clamped his hat over his head protectively, then looked over to the other coordinator who sent out a Beedrill.

"Twin Needle!" The owner of the Beedrill shouted over the crowd's cheering.

"Hound, use Flamethrower!" Kara said in return. Hound looked at her confusedly, and she sent him a death glare that would also be e-mailed to Noel once this battle was finished, won or lost. "I swear I'll saw off those horns of yours if you lose this battle!" She hissed across the stage, letting no one else hear. The devil creature yelped and quickly dodged the needles coming towards him, then blasted a steam of bright white fire at Beedrill.

"Woo, I'm saved..." Noel let out a sigh of relief as Beedrill fell. The judges pounded their buzzers, signaling that the Beedrill was finished. The crowd cheered and Kara and Hound left the stage, and Noel hurriedly parted to the side for her. She stopped halfway towards the door, and he froze and hurriedly covered his face. "I'm sorry! We couldn't find it!"

Worry flashed across her face, but she quickly recomposed herself and crossed her arms. "I don't care why or how—I just want my Prinplup back. Oh, and I'm keeping Hound until I get Emporor back." Noel pouted at her words and winced as she slammed the door closed.

"Alright, I guess we need to bring in the emergency rescue team..."

* * *

"Shuppet, use Knock Off!"

"Butterfree counter with Supersonic!"

It was the semi-final round for Kayla, and she was struggling to come on top in this battle. The crowd was already chanting her opponent's name, which was getting her and her ghost pokémon irritated. Shuppet materialized a white shadow of a hand in thin air, using it to protect itself, but the waves coming off of Butterfree's antennas sliced right through it and caused sparkles. Kayla's points dropped, giving her a fourth of the circle of points left while her opponent still had half.

"Hey Cody, your girlfriend is losing." Noel said from his seat in the stands. He had already given up on looking for Emporor's pokéball, and had left Kara's trio of friends from Sunyshore to look for it.

Cody rubbed his eyes awake, then blinked at the stage as an explosion smeared everyone's vision. "Oh, she is? Cool. Whatever." With that, the puce haired gangster fell back asleep.

"Eh, she can turn this battle around. She has another minute." Edgar said while wiping off his glasses with the bottom of his shirt.

"If you say so." Noel shrugged, although he already predicted the outcome.

"Ram it with Night Shade!" Kayla said as the explosion subsided, leaving a healthy Butterfree and a panting Shuppet. The ghost puppet's eyes flashes, and starting from its horn it was engulfed in a dark black/red aura in the shape of an orb. The orb sped towards Butterfree—

"Stop it with Bug Buzz!" The owner of the Butterfree countered. The butterfly turned slightly and rubbed its wings together swiftly, creating yellow sound waves that sounded like a bee buzz. The sound waves broke through Shuppet's attack, blowing the ghost backwards. Kayla's points dropped again.

"Butterfrees smell like crack." Slate said.

"Sure they do..." Noel said with a pity laugh, and patted his friends head. Lexi rolled her eyes and wished the two would act their age, not their shoe size. It was embarrassing to be seen with them.

"Now use Stun Spore!" Butterfree swept the wind with its wings, trailing sparkly yellow dust towards Shuppet.

"Shadow Ball!" Kayla said as the clock ticked 30 seconds. Shuppet shot a black blob through the sparkly dust, claiming some of it through its travel. Butterfree fell back when it was hit, and was tossed into the air again as Shuppet struck it with Shadow Sneak. Butterfree landed on the ground and stopped moving, so the judges deemed it unable to battle.

"She actually won!" Noel gasped, shaking Cody's shoulders vigorously. Cody woke up and yelled at him to quit it, then looked on stage to see Kayla waving at him.

"Oh...hey sweetie! I saw your battle! All of it!" He said to her while waving back.

"Liar" Edgar scoffed. Cody shot him a glare before continuing his waving to his girlfriend.

Everyone sat down again as the last two contestants were put on the scoreboard. Unsurprisingly, it was Kara and Kayla. The pokémon they used for both rounds sat under their names in smaller pictures, while the ribbon being rewarded was in between them. The ribbon was the color of ocean blue.

"We found Kara's Prinplup!" said Tasha as she and her two friends returned to their seats near Noel and the others.

"It's a bit too late for that!" He snapped, "Kara's already out there abusing my Houndoom in girly contests!"

"It was your fault for not finding her pokémon in the first place." Edgar pointed out.

"Shush guy-who-I-haven't-come-up-with-a-nickname-yet! " Noel retorted without a witty comeback. "Where's the mini Empoleon anyway?"

"He went backstage to find Kara." Tasha answered for him, as he was beginning to get spazzy. "It wouldn't matter anyway, she can't switch pokémon now."

"As long as I don't go bald tonight; I don't trust her with scissors..." Noel said, shaking slightly.

"Yeah, she's really bad with sharp objects." Tasha nodded in agreement, "Half of these scars on my arms aren't from my Gible for a reason..."

He scooted further away from her.

"Shut up guys, the contest is starting up again!" Lexi snapped at them, and jumped into the seat directly one row below her, disturbing Cody's sleep. He huffed and decided to watch the rest of the contest considering the only sleep he'll be able to get does not include inside of a ridiculously packed contest coliseum.

* * *

"Alright Hound, this is our final battle, and after that you're going straight back to Noel." Kara said backstage as she waited for the final intermission to end. The devil dog blinked at her while his tail wagged behind him excitedly.

"_Good! I'm glad this damn thing is almost over. I'm an embarrassment to Houndoom's everywhere." _He barked in response.

"You're doing really well!" She reassured. "Just think of it like a regular battle, except this time we're going for sparkles...and stuff."

"_You don't know what you're doing out there do you?" _He lifted an eyebrow.

"...I'm _trying _okay! I've got to get my act together or it'll be all over..." She muttered worriedly.

"..._What now?_" Hounds ears perked in interest.

"Ignore me, I rant." She said while waving her arms around. As she said that, her rival Kayla arrived from the backstage door with her Shuppet floating behind her. Kayla gave Kara a sneering look with one nostril raised before stepping onto stage. Not realizing she was called, Kara swapped looks with Hound before returning him to his pokéball and joined Kayla onstage.

As the trainers stepped up, a penguin stepped backstage.

Emporor wiped the sweat off his brow after all the running he's been through to get to this point, but as he caught a glimpse of who was onstage he let out an angry groan and took a seat behind the crack in the curtain so he could get the full extent of the battle. Hound and Kayla's Shuppet were released onto the field, deaf to the crowd screaming their names. Emporor kept a close look on his trainer's face to see what was going through her head. Did she even realize he was back? Or gone at all for that matter?

Kayla started off first. "Shuppet, use Shadow Ball!" As a dark matter orb gathered in front of Shuppet, Emporor's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he recognized that the Shuppet was the one who had disturbed him when he had first met his trainer in Lake Verity. Based on the devious look it had towards Hound, he could tell it was also the one from the lake when Kara captured Lale as a Lotad. Who could believe that Kayla was the one to want that demon?

In a split second that orb shot towards Hound. Kara was struggling to remember words as other thoughts were pushing its way into her head, so Hound did what his instincts were telling him—he dodged. His speed was so fast that it was like a flick.

Emporor looked back over to his trainer, who was nervously biting one of her nails. Finally releasing a cuticle from her teeth, she commanded "Faint Attack!"

Shuppet was getting closer and Kayla yelled at the top of her lungs before Hound took off. "Protect yourself with Night Shade!" As Hounds figure faded, Shuppet surrounded itself in a black/red dark aura. When Hound struck, he ended up smacking into Night Shade and dropped to the ground. Points fell.

"Hound get up!" Emporor could hear Noel scream behind the rest of the crowd's cheering. Hound quickly bounced back to its feet, and Kara groaned and quickly looked through her pokédex, narrowly slipped somewhere in her shirt.

"Hound, use Flamethrower!" This time Shuppet wasn't prepared and was engulfed in bright white and red flames blazing through Hound's esophagus. "Follow up with Thunder Fang!"

Emporor shook his head at his observation. Was this a contest or a battle? He couldn't tell because all his trainer was going for was power. If she had waited till he'd arrived she would've one the ribbon already; but that was his opinion.

Hound bounded through the rear of the flames as Shuppet still lingered in the fire, and squealed as it was bitten by its horn and met by more heat from the electric move. Kayla scowled and waited for the flames to part so she could see the damage. Shuppet was scratched up terribly, but he was still floating.

"Why won't it fall already?" Kara muttered under her breath.

"Shadow Sneak Snake!" Kayla said. Kara blinked and repeated what she said several times, yet this tongue twister made no sense and was only clarified once Shuppet shot into the ground. His shadow still remained visible as he floated underground, surrounded by a grey-ish glow that made the floor shimmer. Kara started losing points so that she was equal to Kayla's points.

_What's she up to? _Emporor wondered as he stood up to see what was happening onstage.

Hound kept his eyes locked on Shuppet's shadow, which began spinning around stage in a loop like an idiot. Its trail began to shimmer like an old ruin being activated, and the crowd ooh'ed and aww'ed in amazement. Kara scowled and wished she had some clue to what was happening next. Shuppet's trail began to look more and more like a snake coiled around the spot under Hound, and Kara gasped when she finally figured it out.

"Quick Hound, MOVE!" she shrieked. It was too late—the dark glow around Hound was beginning to dim his vision, and he couldn't see a thing. Next thing he knew he was pushed up into the air by Shuppet, who had finally come out of the ground. "Use Rage!"

"Continue to use Shadow Sneak!" Kayla said while smirking, knowing that normal type moves did nothing to ghost types. Hopefully all this copying off Edgar's homework was paying off.

Hound let out a scary roar, his eyes blazing red. Although it wasn't seen, every few movements he would flash red. Shuppet continue to sneak into the ground and pounce when the Houndoom wasn't looking, which was getting him more frustrated.

And that's just what she wanted. Kara grinned and waited for the perfect moment to strike. "Get ready Hound!" She said. Shuppet rose from the ground and she quickly said, "Hurry! Faint Attack!"

Before Shuppet could pounce Hound faded and rammed into him, his power multiplied by so many levels every time Shuppet hit him before. Shuppet flew into the air, unable to catch itself, and crashed right into the scoreboard. All of Kayla's points dropped and her picture on the scoreboard faded. Only Kara's remained—and confetti popped on the screen!

"_She would've won faster with me." _Emporor muttered as he watched his trainer practically hyperventilate at the difficult battle. The crowd cheered as she received her ribbon, while Kayla kicked Emporor to the side in anger as she got to the curtain. The penguin grimaced and pushed itself off the floor.

"_HEEEY_!"

Both Emporor and Kayla froze. Hound and Kara emerged from the curtains, both holding a ribbon.

"Did you just kick my pokémon?" Kara said as she stepped in front of her pokémon. Emporor looked up skeptically to see why she would defend him.

"What if I did?" Kayla sneered in response.

Kara scowled as a retort didn't come. "The least you could do is apologize, Kayla. We aren't barbarians here."

"Classify as you want, all I know is that your cheating ass doesn't deserve that ribbon." Kayla spat, pointing at the ribbon in her rival's fingers. "That pokémon isn't yours but you used it anyway! It isn't fair to any of the other contestants!"

"Battle rounds are only half the contest, and it wouldn't have mattered if I used him or not!" Kara retorted.

Kayla crossed her arms and looked at the pokémon on both of Kara's sides. "It doesn't matter. I know about your little deadline...in just a matter of contests, I'll be sending you _straight_ home." With that, she turned on her heels and left.

"_...What deadline_?" Hound asked curiously.

"Nothing." Kara denied, "Emp, you okay?" She crouched down to her Prinplup.

"_You're mad at me and throw me over a lake, and you care that I was kicked by a measly boot?" _

"The heel was pretty high."

Emporor rolled his eyes. "_Can we just leave now? I can smell Noel from here."_

"_I can smell him too; he has a very distinctive scent._" Hound agreed as they left backstage.

"That's because he shampoos his hair with my strawberry conditioner." Kara laughed as they joined everyone at the lobby.

* * *

**Is it me, or was that really predictable? I think it was. I dunno, tell me what you think.**

**I feel bad it took me almost 3 weeks to update again. But I had an excuse! I got a tablet and was working on pictures for the story, unfortunately I only got one finished ^_^' if you want to see it, check my profile. ALSO! I have a new poll, MUST be voted on. It's for Valentine pictures! What couple would you love to see? AND AND AND. A few months ago I had a poll deciding on who from the anime was going to infiltrate the story, and the winner: NONE! That's cool. But runner ups were: Ash (1), Max (1), Conway (1), and Harley (1). Please make a final decision between the four (or none) so I can give them a cameo :D**

**And. OH MY GOD ITS AWESOME. I got a swim team jacket. OH YEAH ITS BLACK AND GOOOOLLDDDDD! Take that blue. And green. And other colors. **


	42. Penguins Don't Like Pageants Part 1 of 2

**I really like this chapter, which is why I updated as soon as I finished it! YEP!**

**Thanks so so so so much to **_sagemode _**and **_cjml1 _**for reviewing last chapter. So throwing Emp over a lake wasn't predictable? Well it was plot related. You'll see soon.**

**P.S. This episode (so this chapter and next chapter) is exclusively in **Emporor the Prinplup's **POV. Enjoy :D  
P.P.S. Errors will be fixed later...**

* * *

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 34  
**Penguins Don't Like Pageants Part 1/2

* * *

"Barren, do you know where my hat is? I can't go outside without it!"

"Honestly you look better without it."

"I can't find my freakin—WHOA!"

WHOA.

I have no idea what just happened—first I was in my pokéball, and now I'm under a bed? Seriously, why the hell does this keep happening? Noel needs to stop tripping over my pokéball or I'm going to have to do some drastic measures. Like hide my pokéball under a pillow or something.

"UGH! THIS IS NOT COOL!" Noel shrieks in the quietest whisper possible. I climbed out from under my trainer's bed to find Noel going through his morning routine—take a shower, get dressed, and panic over lost items. Today he was dressed in a yellow sweatshirt with the name 'Sunyshore' stitched on it in white that made him stick out like a banana in a crate of apples, topped with his usual brown vest, and cargo pants tucked into brown UGG boots. I don't know how this guy could be any more feminine, even though those boots come in men's styles.

I found my pokéball kicked off in a corner, and I picked it up and placed it back onto the belt that was hanging over a chair with the rest of Kara's pokéballs. I stared at my teammate's pokéballs for a few seconds more before waddling over to Barren who was grinning madly at Noel, who was still attempting to turn the whole room over to find his hat.

"You have his hat?" I asked the giant turtle.

"Every morning." Barren laughs. He lifted his left foot to reveal Noel's grey sock hat, and quickly kicked it under one of the vacant beds before his trainer could return from the bathroom.

Noel emerged from the bathroom with a fallen face, his dark red hair askew. "That's it, I give up...I'd be better off putting a paper bag over my face..."

"We all would benefit from that actually." Barren agreed.

"He's not that bad looking." I disagreed. There were uglier people we've passed on the road honestly.

"True, but paper bags are fun." He chuckled. "Hey Noel, try under your bed!" He pointed with his huge paw to the bed recently used by his trainer. Noel shrugged and crouched down to the floor to peer under the mattress, and his face lit up like a cracked glow stick once he found his prized hat. After pulling it on, he beamed and skipped over to his drawstring bag on top of the TV at the side of the room to get his PokéGear.

"So what's going on?" I asked Barren as we watched Noel dial for someone.

"Eh, bad things..." He replied in a low voice. "Genji is really sick so Noel is trying to contact someone that could fly her home..."

"Isn't Sunyshore like half an hour from here?" I asked.

"It is, but we'd be stuck there for over a month since they've pretty much locked everyone inside. It's hotel California..."

"You're welcome inside but you can never leave..." I muttered the lyrics out of my beak. "So then how did Noel and Kara escape?"

Barren laughed. "You're a smart penguin but you're still a naïve little kid...The blackout was recent, so they were able to leave before it happened. Sunyshore isn't some death hole...it's just in its own little recession."

I shrugged and pretended to understand what recession meant. I bet Kara would know.

Maybe I was a bit wrong calling her retarded yesterday, especially since that led her into throwing me and my pokéball into Lake Valor. After contemplation I realized I may have crossed several lines, and maybe I did deserve what happened considering what I said. I'm a strong Prinplup—being on my own for a while made me even stronger. But if what happened to me ever happened to Lale, Lunybuny, or even Shina—they'd be scarred for life. I'd never let that happen to them—they were almost like sisters to me.

"You can't? Well...yeah, okay. It's alright Slate, I know you and Tasha are already on your bus to Solaceon, so no changing that. ...Ravenn and Maria? Oh please they took a train back to Hearthome last night! Don't you remember? One of them tried to steal a lock of your hair! Yeah, Sunyshore girls are crazy. Well, have fun on your trip, I guess I'll think of something else..." Noel said goodbye to Slate and hung up, then sighed and leaned on the dresser beside the TV. Was nothing going right for him?

Well, nothing ever does anyway.

Noel slumped over his bed, muttering "No choice...Have to go home..."

"We can't go home, our journey just started." Barren muttered, crossing his thick arms. Telling by his grim face, he was going to do everything in his power to prevent his trainer from going back home. He looked out the window for just a brief moment, and his face was stricken with a plan.

"What's going through that shell?" I asked the Blastoise as he pried the window open. We could hear a trainer and his pokémon now.

"_Come on Ty! Make that flame reach the sky!"_

"_You've got it man!"_

Noel's ears perked up and he straightened up, then he ran over to the window and looked like he was almost halfway through it.

"Don! Don!" He called, although I had to shush him as Kara was still sleeping. Never wake her before eight is what I've recently learned. "Hey Don! I need to ask you something!"

"_Could you ask me outside instead of halfway out your window?"_

"Oh yea" Noel muttered, and he pulled himself back into the room, but he didn't have to think much about it to jump right _out _the window. He's lucky we're on the first floor.

"Hey Barren, give me a boost." I asked the giant turtle as I attempted to reach the window. I swear I need to evolve soon so I can reach things like the sink. Barren shrugged and hauled me over the window, then dropped me onto the ground outside. I grunted and dusted off my sleek coat, then ran over to Noel and Don on the blacktop. His Typhlosion was attempting to get his Flamethrower to reach the top of a tree that towered over us.

"So Noel, what did you need? Was it that battle you promised?" Don asked hopefully.

"—Hell no. I have more important matters." Noel snapped, making the guy with the buzz cut scowl.

"Is battling me such a bad idea to you?" Don spat questioningly.

"Of course not!" Noel retorted, "I just—I just need help! My Gengar is sick and I need someone to fly her home!"

"...And you came to me _why?_"

"You have a Pidgeot, duh." Noel pointed out.

"Well, yeah I do..." Don agreed with a faint nod of his head, "But _you _have a golf cart. Why can't you just drive to Sunyshore yourself?"

"Why can't you just help a brother out?" Noel shot back with a question of his own. I rolled my eyes, wondering if this conversation would ever get to the point. He sighed when he realized Don wouldn't understand without a proper explanation. "Okay, so Sunyshore has a blackout right? Well anyone can enter, but until they fix the electricity problem, no one can leave. It's so stupid. I can't just go there, I'm like four badges behind you!"

"Oh, so land locking me in Kansas is alright then?" Don said sarcastically.

"...What the hell is _Kansas_? All I'm asking you to do is drop my Gengar off at my house—hell, you can even take whatever's left in the fridge! Besides, don't you need the badge from Volkner?" Noel waged.

Don contemplated over this for a few seconds. "Yeah, I do...and I would need a place to stay. Where's your house?"

"It's got this bright pink roof, it's not hard to miss over the sky." Noel deadpanned. "And don't ask—it was my mother's decision, not mine."

"I find that hard to believe." Don muttered. "But sure, I'll take your Gengar home."

Noel's eyes lit up. "You will? HOORAY!"

"Oh, and is that Kara's Prinplup behind you?"

Don pointed his finger at me, and I cursed and snuck behind Noel's legs, although I found that my efforts to hide were futile because I forgot that the red head could turn around.

"Oh hey Emporor! Come on, let's go get Genji, she's finally going to get better!" He ran ahead back to the hotel, and I groaned and followed. Haven't I done enough exercise for the morning?

* * *

What was this room we were in? It looked cool and futuristic. Pokémon were lying on cots placed in rooms walled of thick glass, making every creature contribute to a sicky-looking aquarium. I wish they'd give curtains to that one weird Ditto who kept changing colors. Is that supposed to be some color-blind disease...?

"We've moved your Gengar to the dark matter room to make her feel a little better." Nurse Joy says to Noel from behind us as she locks the elevator. I don't understand why she needs to secure it like a locked door. Maybe she's dealt with crooks in the past who like to steal sick pokémon...Or maybe she's trying to keep out that creeper Alta. Either or.

"Well she'll be home soon, so thanks for taking care of her." Noel replied as we crossed the sickly pokémon to the end of the corridor. A room with a black door guarding it. Hm. Ominous.

"I'm glad she'll finally get a chance to recover." Nurse Joy nods as she opens the door to the room. Inside it was completely dark with..._things _floating around, although I'm not really sure what the things were as they looked like purple floating globs. The Nurse accepted Genji's pokéball from Noel and pointed it at the room—a red line like the ones that position gun shots—scanned the room as the Nurse moved the capsule around. Eventually the light hit something and sucked the creature inside. Noel beamed and took back the pokéball.

"Thanks Nurse!" With that, we went back up the elevator and hurried outside to where Don was waiting with his Pidgeot, P-Jet, packed and waiting. It was a bit cold out here as the sun hadn't risen completely so now I understood why both Noel and Don were wearing so many layers. It's kind of weird seeing this as I'm used to my trainer only wearing a tank top with a hoodie over it. Hm.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You won't be seeing your Gengar in a while..." Don said, looking unsure. I hope he's not backing out of this delivery plan.

"It'd be best for everyone if she get's proper rest at home." Noel shrugged, dropping the shrunken pokéball in Don's outstretched palm.

"I hope you're right..." Don muttered, pocketing the pokéball in his jean's pocket. He hiked his leg over his Pidgeot's back and settled himself atop the big bird. P-Jet's wings flapped strongly a few times, just to get the wind started. That gust nearly blew me off my webbed feet, although all it did to Noel was blow off his hat. He ignored that little tidbit as he watched the two rise in the air.

"You never did say goodbye to her..." I muttered, feeling sympathetic to Genji when she'd wake up in Sunyshore away from her family. A vacation away from the ones you call friends wasn't a vacation. It was hell.

Noel's forest colored eyes widened, and for a second I wondered if he understood me. "Wait! Don! I forgot to say goodbye to her!" He called to the trainer who was too high in the sky to hear. They were already too far a few seconds later and Noel sighed and face palmed. "I hope she gets better soon..."

* * *

"I spy with my little eyes...something GREEN!"

"It's a tree."

"No..."

"YEAH IT IS! We're in a freakin' forest. NOTHING ELSE IS GREEN."

"Incorrect!" Shina yipped, sticking her nose in the air like a know-it-all, "_Lale_ is green!"

I crossed my arms in annoyance. "Ugh, you suck."

Her eyes became all watery, like she has some off/on switch that lets her tear up whenever she wants. "WAAH! Emporor called me a bad name!" She whined, looking over at Lale who was between us on my left. Lunybuny wasn't paying attention at all and was just staring at herself with a handheld mirror to my right.

"Emporor, apologize." Lale said strictly.

"Like hell I will." I snapped.

Shina gasped, rising from her lying-like-a-lion position. "OOOH, Emp said a bad word! Lale, Emp said a bad word!"

"I'm aware." Lale sighed. We all became quiet after that and I settled on my back to gaze at the ceiling of my pokéball, which was really nothing but a clear view of the outside world, if you ignored that red tint my pokéball was usually topped with.

The four of us—Shina, Lale, Lunybuny, and I—were sitting inside my pokéball boredly waiting for the golf cart to arrive in Pastoria City. How is this possible? Simple. We can enter any pokéball close enough—it's this freaky weird design scientists don't feel like explaining because they claim it would unravel the fabric of space and time. What a bunch of bullcrap.

My pokéball's "space" was designed accordingly—we were in a lake, but at the edge of my pokéball was sand that led into other pokéballs close by. In the middle of the lake was a mini island, which was where all four of us were located at. Connected to the island were four wooden bridges perpendicular to each other that led to the edge of the pokéball.

I wish the others would leave me alone so I could just swim around without hearing their whiney voices every time I come up for air. Granted I don't need to come up, but I just like the oxygen that isn't _in _water.

"So did your pokéball flood after Kara threw you in the lake yesterday?" Lun suddenly asks as she puts her mirror away.

"I also wonder about that; seeing that cocky Houndoom out there onstage instead of you got me a bit frustrated, especially since I worked so hard to get us to the second round." Lale agreed as she dug her fingers through the sand under us.

"Were you scared?" Shina asked with her usual wide-eye expression.

"Pfft, of course not." I waved her off with one of my wings. "I knew I would get out eventually. Kara adores me too much to permanently abandon me."

"How would you know?" Lun pointed out. "You have a tendency to piss people off pass their limits."

"Name one time!" I retorted, refusing to believe I was that much of a nuisance.

"There was that time you caused all of Kara's clothes to fall in a lake last week." Lale pointed out.

"And when you tried to get them back you ended up mixing the whites with the colors, which made that white top of hers look all psychedelic..." Lun added.

"Eh, you two need to stop living in the past." I muttered. "Oh, and while I was in the lake, this weird fairy thing gave me a message."

"Tell! Tell! I like fairytales!" Shina prodded, her tail wagging excitedly behind her. I decided not to burst her bubble since this was a true story, not some stupid bed-time legend.

"Alright, here's what happened..." I started, and everyone leaned in close to hear.

* * *

"_Cool off that attitude of yours!" Kara shrieked. After pulling out his pokéball from the belt under the waistline of her skirt, Emporor was engulfed in a red light, returning back to his ball. Frustrated, she chucked his pokéball over the rail. After a satisfactory splash, she turned on her heel and returned to the waiting room._

_The red and white object sank to the bottom of the lake. A blue figure with two bejeweled tails swam to the item, then after examining the creature inside without needing to open it, the figure claimed the object and rose to the surface._

Emporor cringed as he was tugged out of his pokéball and out into the real world. Would he be submerged in icy cold water? Would he starve to death? Was his trainer leaving him forever? He thought about this for a while till he realized he was not underwater—in fact, he was still dry and was standing on a rough cave floor. Cautiously he opened one eye, his vision locking onto his pokéball a few inches in front of his feet.

"For a Prinplup you're pretty soft."

The penguin shrieked and unconsciously broke into a fighting stance with one wing up. The figure in front of him was entirely blue, and closely resembled a human baby minus its blue face mask with the red gem embedded to its forehead. Two tails hung behind it bearing the same jewel upon the creatures head. It had some sort of 'authority' feel around it that made Emporor afraid to speak to it.

"What the _hell_ are you?" Emp spat, pointing his wing at it.

"Nice to meet you too..." The floating pixy rolled its eyes. "I'm referred to as Azelf by the humans. Ever heard of me?"

"Not one word." Emp replied, dropping his wing. There were no attacks so far, so he felt alright with letting his guard down.

"Your trainer must not be into legends then." Azelf shrugged.

"How do you know I have a trainer?"

"You have a pokéball of course." Azelf pointed to the object at Emp's feet. "Besides, I know her."

"...How?" Emporor wasn't aware those two have met. She hasn't talked about this strange creature yet.

"I just do!" Azelf snapped, making the penguin flinch. The pixy settled down slowly. "...Sorry. Allow me to explain—a few years ago her and her mother arrived here in Valor for vacation—long story short, she fell in the water. She cut herself on the way down, and her blood...well it..."

"It started glowing?" Emp gasped when Azelf couldn't finish his story.

"Of course not!" The pixy retorted. "It sort of...woke me up. When I first saw her face, I kind of felt something..."

"Skip the corny love story, you're making me sick." Emp muttered.

"Oh no, it was nothing like that." Azelf chuckled while sweat dropping, "I just felt a connection...like I knew she was just like me."

"Like a link?" Emp recalled. Azelf nodded along as it seemed to match up with the description he was putting up. "We had a few run-ins with Team Galactic and they mentioned that a few times. They're pretty pressed about this 'linked to Azelf' thing." Emp continued, using air quotes.

"They know as well?" Azelf's eyes widened. "That's troubling. Prinplup, I need you to deliver a message to your trainer—"

"I go by _Emporor._" Emp clarified.

"Oh. Very original. Okay, as I was saying—I need you to deliver a very important message that could hold the fate of our worlds!"

"Is it really that important?"

"...No." Azelf replied. "I might get in trouble for saying this, but those Galactic goons are right...Kara is somewhat linked to me. Everyone in the lake trio—Uxie, Mesprit, and I—have two guardians that are each physically linked to one of us. Those two guardians are destined to be soul mates, and Kara is half of me. Whatever happens to me, happens to her."

"So if I hit you, she can feel it too?" Emporor questioned.

Azelf thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "In a sense; yes." And so Emporor slapped him. "OW! What was that for?"

"For Kara throwing me in the lake, dur." Emp replied.

Elsewhere...

Kara was backstage, holding a tempting unwrapped chocolate bar. Just as she was about to devour it, something slapped her cheek! She shrieked and fell over, dropping her candy in the process. She scowled and recovered quickly so no one would think she was insane.

Back in the cave...

"So why _her_ anyway?" Emp questioned as Azelf recovered from the hit.

"It's a plot device of course." Azelf answered cheerfully. "Noel is one of the guardians as well...to Uxie I think. In fact, I know all the guardians of this generation, but what would be the fun of telling you all of the names?"

"Is this 'guardian' thing a big title with huge responsibilities or something?" Emp asked, seeing as though Azelf kept stressing that word.

"Definitely no." Azelf grinned. "Well, maybe...it just depends on the use of them. Like maybe if Team Galactic wanted the red chain to create a new universe, they'd need to capture the three lake guardians and the six human guardians, then take the six humans and take some of their blood and fuse it into the stones of the chain. Makes sense right?"

"Sounds more like witch craft to me..."

"Yeah, but it's really just some farfetched plan that I doubt those Galactic guys are actually going for." Azelf shrugged. "As for that message, I need you to tell her that she is half of Azelf."

"Yeah..." Emporor trailed off, picturing that conversation in mind, "We sort of have this language barrier so I don't think the message will translate well..."

"You'll have to try." Azelf prodded as he began to push the penguin to the exit of the cave. "Now go! And don't forget your pokéball."

"Fine, fine!" The penguin said, picking up his pokéball, "But one more thing; who's Kara's soul mate? Your other half?"

"It's a secret, but I'll give you a hint; she's already met him, and he has pink hair." Azelf answered as he pushed Emporor off the edge of the cliff. Emp dove into the water with a small splash, his pokéball between his wings. Only one thought crossed his mind as he jetted through the lake...

_Pink hair huh? Well that narrows it down to..._

* * *

"That's the stupidest and most convoluted flashback I've ever heard." Lale said as I finished my story. It irked me that she didn't believe my totally true event.

"But it's true!" I retorted. "That Azelf thing said that Kara was half of him, can't you see that it's true?"

"It's a bit farfetched for our average run-of-the-mill trainer." Lunybuny shrugged as she messed with the cotton surrounding her torso. "Are you sure this story you're telling isn't some dream that came to you as your pokéball was flooding?"

"It wasn't flooding dammit! Why won't you believe me?" I yelled, wishing that I didn't have to win their beliefs over an argument I most likely wouldn't win.

"I believe you Emp." Shina said in her naïve little kid voice.

"You're not the people I'm trying to convince." I deadpanned to her. I turned back over to Lale. "Come on Lale, can't you see Azelf in Kara?"

"Azelf _is _the pokémon of willpower...and Kara does show some signs of that, but she gives up easily too." Lale weighed these options out loud.

"She _did _use that Cherrim during the Veilstone gym battle, and she worked pretty well with Hound during the contest yesterday...but where's the proof that she might really have this supposed 'link'?" Lun inquired.

I sighed. "I wish I could prove it to you but all I can say is that you have to trust me."

"I believe what you're saying Emp." Shina said, but she was out of her kiddy voice.

"I know that Shina, but you believe anything." I replied.

"No, I really _do _believe you. It took me a while to think about it, but whenever we're with Kara, don't we believe we can do anything? That her willpower kind of rubs off on us?"

"That's how all pokémon feel when they're with their trainer." Lun says. "That proves nothing."

"Maybe we just need to test her." Shina suggested. "I want to prove what Emp is attempting to tell us."

"I want to prove it too but I doubt you can prove 'willpower'..." I said, leaning on my back again. "How would you define willpower? As never giving up? As having the strength to go on?"

"I guess we'll have to figure that out before we evaluate." Lale sighs. I bet that big brain of hers is starting to burst with all her calculating.

"All we can do now is—" Before I could finish my sentence, everything in my vision flashed white and I was tugged forward.

* * *

"We're going the wrong way! I told you during that fork in the road that we were supposed to go the _other _way!"

"No, we're going the _right _way, according to the GPS!"

"The GPS gets lost millions of times! We get to the middle of a random forest somewhere near a town, and it says 'you have reached your destination', when we are _clearly _not in the town yet!"

Some ideal scene to arrive to once you're let out of your pokéball, huh?

As the flash that tugged me forward faded away, I found myself next to an Alakazam driving us through the brown-sand pathway near the ocean that was hopefully leading us to Pastoria City. According to the earlier argument, we were having doubts. Kara was fixed on the idea that our GPS was being slow and Noel was just pulling his hat over his face and covering his ears while saying 'la la la la la' to drown out Kara's voice.

"Look—a sign! See! Pastoria City: 30 miles." Noel pointed to a sign sticking out of the sand next to a house that was isolated on the beach route.

"Kado, slow the cart." Kara said. We jerked to a stop, making Noel hit his head on the roof of the cart, which resulted in him shrieking like a girl. "Hey Emp, hand me that marker please?" She pointed to under my foot, where a sharpie sat. I kicked it over to her and she took it and ran over to the sign. She crossed out '30' and replaced it with 'nowhere near here'...

"Hey, that's vandalism! You could get fined for that!" Noel pointed out.

She scribbled 'Kayla Wakeman was here' under her lousy penmanship.

"This sign lies!" She concluded, then snapped the cap back onto her marker and took her seat back onto the cart. "Okay, we can go now." With that, Kado started the cart again.

"Why does she think we're going the wrong way?" I asked Kado, who levitated above the luggage in the trunk of the cart.

"The absence of Pastoria's famous 'marsh' has convinced her otherwise." Kado answered like the brainiac he was. "Truth is, we won't be experiencing marsh till we near the west side of Pastoria—which is route 212, not 213...which we are on."

"She's draining the battery out of her radio, I don't think she cares anymore." I shrugged. "Why am I out here anyway? I was just having a semi-intelligent conversation with the others." By "others" referred to Lun, Shina, and Lale.

"You were brought out here to determine where the previous argument would go, but I guess you weren't needed after all." He shrugged. I scowled and turned around to the humans in the front seat, both doing something on each of their PokéGears. As uninteresting as it was, Kara was playing solitaire and Noel was researching future events in Pastoria—I decided to disrupt them and jumped into the free space between them.

"WHOA! Water pokémon on the seat. Dry him off first!" Noel shrieked, tearing his eyes off the screen of his device.

"He wasn't in water so he's not wet." Kara stated while still seemingly glued to her game.

"Oh" He said absently, then returned to his device. I looked over his shoulder to see he was scrolling over a list of events that would happen somewhere next week. "Ooh...Pastoria is having a Pokémon Pageant tomorrow!"

"...And you have interest in that _why_?" Kara inquired, setting her device down on her lap. Apparently she lost that round of solitaire.

"I'll need something to do while I wait for an open slot for battling Crasher Wake" He shrugged. "Plus I need more money for community hours! And community hours are _not _cheap."

"You mean for graduating high school...? You can _pay _for those?" She gasped with lifted eyebrows.

"I'm not doing crap for the community." He spat under his breath. "You want to enter the pageant too?"

"Eh heh heh...no thanks...Anything with the word 'pageant' in it doesn't sound like my kind of thing..." She said while covering herself up by laughing. I let out a sigh of relief since I didn't have to stress about the ridicule that comes with a male entering a _pageant_.

"Whatever, less competition for me." Noel beamed. "Hey Emp, you can be on my team if you want!" He pointed his excited green eyes at me.

"_HELL _NO." I deadpanned. His face fell but he quickly fixed that when someone answered the call he just recently made.

"Hello? Is this the front desk of the Pastoria Pokémon Pageant?"

I can't believe he's entering this...

"Yes; I'm Noel Diego and I'd like to sign up please."


	43. Penguins Don't Like Pageants Part 2 of 2

**My God, where have I been...? I'll explain later, I just want this chapter out of the way! :P**

**Reminders:**

_Noel Diego: _Red hair/Green Eyes/Wears a Grey Sock-Hat  
_Kara Ryka: _Dark Purple Hair/Silver Eyes

**In EMPOROR the PRINPLUP's POV**

**

* * *

**

_Amethyst and Carmine presents…__  
_**Episode 34**  
Penguins Don't Like Pageants Part 2/2

* * *

Shoot, Pastoria was big.

After about half an hour just watching the repetitive forest scenery pass, our golf cart finally passed through a checkpoint building that most travelers go through like a tourist info place. Earlier Noel picked up one of their "tour guide" packets, which was so thick that it looked like an ancient book out of the movies. I wonder how much information you can pack into one town.

Although a wide river separated the town into two halves, it was still modernized into the huge city it was now. Although not as glitzy and glamorous as Jubilife, Veilstone, or even Hearthome, Pastoria had small stores that were sitting in front of taller buildings that could kill a starly if it didn't look where it was going.

"This must be some different town—Pastoria has mud." Kara said as she looked up to the tops of buildings.

"Then how do you explain the 'Pastoria City' t-shirts they were selling at that souvenir store?" Noel shot back.

"...THEY STOLE IT!" She replied. "Let's just get to the pokémon center already so I can have lunch."

"You have reached your destination" Said the GPS. Might I add that we were still in the middle of town with other cars honking behind us.

"LIAR!" Kara roared at the GPS, and chucked it to the backseat with Kado and me.

Noel open up to the map in his tour guide booklet thing. "Let's see...where's the river?"

"Behind us" She replied while pointing.

"Okay...then we go...thata way" Noel directed Kado to the next intersection, where we took a left. Loe behold the pokémon center was the dead end. "Hn, so those signs that pointed this way were right. I guess you're going to have to fix those signs that you X'd out huh?" He said to her with a knowing gaze under his cap.

"I-I didn't do those!" She replied in a high-pitched voice while attempting to hide her permanent marker behind her. We arrived at the front of the center that casted a shadow over us, so I think it's safe to assume that it's a Pokémon "Hotel". After parking the golf cart, Kado and I followed our trainers into the building.

"A lot of pink." Noel muttered under his breath as we just stopped there in the lobby.

"I'M BLIND!" Kara shrieked, covering her stinging eyes with her hands. I rolled my eyes and pushed the back of her legs to the desk where the city's Nurse Joy stood. We managed to maneuver around the hanging pink banners that advertised tomorrow's Pageant without knocking into other people on the way. This pink and white color scheme really made this place look like a cake.

"Looks like the Pageant is going to be over here." Noel assumed as he looked around. In the west wing of the lobby, a stage was being set up. But...why _here_? That's just sad...

"That's correct" The Nurse chimed from in front of us. It kind of scared me a bit cause I forgot she was there...she blended in with the all the pink. "We haven't been able to sell many seats so they relocated it here. Are you a contestant?"

"Yes I am!" He replied proudly while puffing up his chest. "I can't wait to win and wear the sash across my chest!"

"Your mother should've paid for that gender change" Kado muttered under his breath. I agreed with a nod.

"I thought it was a pokémon pageant, not a people pageant..." Kara trailed off with a confused looking shot towards Noel.

"We have sashes for both pokémon and its trainer...!" Nurse Joy said with a sweat drop. "You have something to look forward to then!" Her eyes shot up and she began to jump. "Oh! Oh! And there's the reigning champion that flew in from Hoenn! Harley!"

Everyone turned to the glass doors as a purple haired man in what look like a Cacturne costume waltzed in. Hn, so I guess my trainer isn't the only one who's into cosplaying.

"HA! I knew purple was a common color!" Kara said excitedly while hopping up and down like the Nurse did while pointing to "Harley". The creeper looked like he needed that gender change too.

"It's not _that _common..." Noel commented while rolling his eyes. My trainer ignored him and without a thought, ran towards Harley.

"Hey! Hey! You have purple hair too! Take a picture with me so I can prove that I have brethren!" She said to Harley, who looked down at her with a "what the hell" look.

"Um...no thanks girlfriend." The guy muttered while walking away, in a high pitched feminine voice for goodness sake. I think we've all mistaken him for a man.

"Please please please!" She pleaded while whipping a digital camera out of her pocket. "It'll only take a second! PLEEEEEASE!"

Noel and I just watched from the sidelines amused.

"No." Harley said flatly. Before he could walk away, Kara snapped a picture of him behind his back, then scurried away with an evil laugh...

"People would think it's a wig." Noel said as she returned to the front desk.

"Na-uh!" Was her only retort. This thing where she hunts purple haired people is pretty common, including the part where they deny taking a picture. Apparently the game is still on. "Hm, you think I should've told him that you're entering the pageant too?"

I know I shouldn't have been watching a stranger walk around while my trainer was talking, but I was curious and saw Harley stiffen and turn his ear towards us.

"Eh, it's not important. Oh, and two rooms please" Noel said, towards both Kara and Nurse Joy. The Nurse nodded and began to scroll her computer for a free room.

"It's not important to meet your rivals? I think it is, cause it creates drama! You should've seen the stuff backstage with Kayla and Alta and Lexi and Don...crazy stuff man." Kara replied with a spooked out voice at the end of her sentence.

"I've got the pageant in the bag; that guy's got nothin' on me." He replied cockily while paying for the room from Nurse Joy. I looked back over to Harley to find that he was standing right next to me, pretending to browse a magazine rack beside the pageant application papers.

Harley coughed and both of the trainers looked over to him.

"Shhhh, he's right _there_." Kara whispered to Noel.

He gave her a look. "I _know_. It doesn't change my opinion though; this pageant will be easy to win."

Harley giggled—it was a pity giggle that no one should take lightly. I was kind of getting scared down here next to his bright white penny loafers.

"Oh, so you think it'll be that easy do you?" He says in the voice that I'd never get used to—seriously, I think he skipped puberty with Justin Bieber.

"Sure I do." Noel shrugged while stepping forward. "It's just a pageant."

"_JUST _a pageant!" Harley gasped, looking horribly offended, "How dare you say that! You are making a mockery of the pageant!"

"..." Noel kept cool without needing much of a retort.

"Well? Are you going to say something?" Harley snapped while crossing his arms.

"I don't think I need to add anything." Noel replied with a light laugh. "I'll see ya at the pageant." With that he walked away while taking the room key, Kara and Kado following. I looked back and forth between him and Harley before scampering behind.

* * *

"You're a dead turtle" I whispered to Rex as we stood in a practice room of sorts. It was insanely wide and I could hardly get a glimpse of the walls that boxed us in as some walls were completely bulletproof glass. Exercising equipment and pokémon apparatus lied around mats that scattered around in no specific pattern. Rex was being broadcasted on a pedestal big enough for him to walk three steps without falling off—basically we were in "pageant training". My trainer was doing separate training with Shina and Lun over in a different area of the room, and I decided not to participate because their workout involved lifting weights with their tail/ears respectively.

"Why I be dead?" Rex inquired while spinning his shell around since he had nothing better to do.

"You're going to be ridiculed for doing this thing!" I explained without bursting into chuckles. Poor kid doesn't know what he's getting into.

"I think its goin' be fun. I'm up for the challenge" He replied as he skidded his spinning to a stop.

"...Okay then." I accepted it although I'm sure he'd regret later. "So where's Noel?" There were these "don't leave your pokémon behind" posters that made me feel like I was going to get snatched up by park rangers if I didn't have a trainer near me. Is there a pound here? I didn't want to be the latest addition..

"He goes to buy pageant pamphlet." Rex said after a while of hanging upside-down for some odd reason. "He don't know what the hell he doin'."

"Those are some big words for a baby Turtwig like you." I commented with a lift of my nonexistent eyebrows.

"I pick 'em up from daddy" Rex gave a big smile. I wasn't sure if he referred "Daddy" to Noel or Barren. That Blastoise had a colorful vocabulary so I wasn't surprised it was him.

"I'm back!" A voice says from the hallway archway a few half miles away. Noel returned with an open box in his arms but he wasn't exactly struggling to carry it as he was getting around all the small equipment hazarding the invisible walkway. He set the box beside the pedestal but I couldn't get a glimpse of the contents because he sat on it (which made the thing almost implode but whatever). He pulled a thin paperback book from under him—err, the box—and began to flip through it.

He read some of the stuff out loud, and some to himself in the form of murmur. What I had learned through the mashed up words he was saying was that there were three events; Looks, displayed by a silly costume and how clean the pokémon was kept; Obedience, which was basically showing off one flashy move; and the obstacle course, which probably degraded us all to a dog show.

"Let's get started then." He said with a snap shut of the book. "Rex, how clean do you think you are?" To this the Turtwig gave a shrug, or what qualified as a shrug since he didn't have shoulders. Noel ran his finger over Rex's shell, coming across a thick layer of dirt. "Hn, I guess I'm giving you a bath later."

"What's a bath?" Rex asked obliviously.

"It's hell in a cold water-filled basin." I explained. Rex blinked without much comprehension and turned back to his trainer. Someone's going to have to pull out a steel wool brush to get between Rex's toes...

"Round 2; show off a move." Noel said out loud. "You've got Withdraw, Absorb, Razor Leaf, and Tackle..."

"Uh oh, he's pulling out the pokédex." I warned Rex. Rex's eyes lit up and he anxiously awaited whatever was going to come next out of his trainer's mouth.

"Let's learn Curse." Noel said with light laugh. "That should be easy! I know every fowl word in the sea sailor dictionary...which isn't a good thing, but hey! It's a pokémon move! Alright, so say this..." He whispered something into Rex's ear. The Turtle's eyes widened.

"B-but that's a bad word!" Rex whined with a sad look.

"Come on little guy, you can do it!" Noel prodded. This is a sad feat...since when do your parents _promote _swearing?

Rex shook his head vigorously.

Noel made no face and kept staring intently at Rex. "Fine, we'll work on it later. Let's prepare for the dress up portion~" He sang, relieving the box under him from anymore pressure. He pulled up a pink colored box that really stung my eyes with its shade...I need to stop hanging around my trainer. Arceus.

"Ooh! Stuff!" Rex ogled as Noel started pulling stuff out of the box. He pulled up wads of fluff, a few feathers, random rocks, a jar of sparkles, a plethora of small scales and ribbons, and a rosy looking chrysanthemum. I doubt he had any general idea of how to arrange these on a Turtwig without looking like a hot mess, but this is Noel here. He's full of surprises.

His head shot up and his eyes locked to something in the far side of the room beside the elliptical machines, and I turned some to see what he was suddenly focused on. It looked like he was staring at a tall blonde girl wearing a blue track suit, exercising next to a Granbull that was lifting enormous weights. Who's she?

"We...we need to go." He said, shoving all the accessories at Rex's feet back into the box. He constantly looked back up to check on the blonde chick.

"Why? Is it because of her? Who's she?" I asked continually. I received no answer and soon enough Noel was packed up and ready to leave. He looked up to the blonde girl, who turned her head slightly.

Their eyes met.

Noel was the first to turn away, and he swiftly dashed for the exit. Confused, I decided to return to my own trainer while he was having his mood swings. Tsk, just when I thought my _female _trainer had emotional issues...

* * *

Stop...stop trying to shake me from my dream, leaf-feely finger...

"OW! Darn it Emporor, you pecked me!"

At the sound of Lale's voice, my eyes snapped open and I found myself holding a finger in my beak. I spitted it out with a taste of disgust on my tongue. And berry too.

"What now?" I snapped, hopping off the edge of our trainer's bed where I found comfort to sleep last night. Better then the floor or an eventually kicked pokéball I say.

"Its noon; I thought I'd take it upon myself to wake you up." She replied calmly, towering over me since she was still standing from the bed. "Kara went with Shina to check out the marshes while Lun and I decided to watch Rex and Noel train for the pageant tonight. I thought it was a bit cruel to leave you in here without this kind of information, but I see I was wrong..." She trailed off with a hollow glare towards me.

Ah, she's always pissed at me, whether it be my sleeping habits or carelessness for the environment.

"Would a 'thank-you' suffice?" I drawled sarcastically.

"Of course it would." She said with a flick of her nose to the ceiling like some snoot.

"Then _thank you_. So where are Noel and the rest?"

"Hmm...I don't feel like telling you."

"Then I'll follow you."

"I can shake you off."

"No you can't."

"Yeah I—"

"HEY YOU TWO! Quit arguing like a breeding pair and let's go!" Yelled someone from the open window beside us. Lun stuck her head in the window with her eyebrows furrowed.

"W-we are not!" Lale yelled after her while climbing out the window. I decided not to go out that way ever again and wound through the halls till I got outside where everyone was at. The grass was such a rich shade of green that Lale began rolling and blending in with it. Rex was standing on a stump while Noel was examining him with that pageant rule book in his hands. It took me a second to realize what had happened to Rex—

He was covered in _accessories_! I literally fell from laughing.

He was covered head to tail in body glitter, while several blue and red colored feathers were aligned to stick to the top of his shell. Random colors of patches of fluff were assembled together to resemble a wig, while a blue ribbon was tied to his short tail.

"Wh-what the heck has he put you through?" I said between giggles as I walked up to Rex.

"I think I look nice" Rex shrugged.

"He looks cute!" Lun agreed while shooting me the 'be nice' look.

"Sure, if you think clowns with cracked makeup is cute." I shot back with a shake of my head. What was Noel thinking? These colors clash terribly together.

"Guys, guys, calm down! We need to focus on the pageant!" Noel said loudly, stopping us from saying anything else. I scowled and zipped my beak shut. He suddenly shrieked, making both Rex and I jump—what the hell man? Now one of Rex's feathers fell off! "It's her! Quick! Hide!" He said while hitting the ground. I looked around to see what the heck this monster was...

Oh. It was that girl from yesterday at the weight room, still in the same track suit. She was jogging with ear buds knocking into her low ponytail, while that same Granbull she had was running in front of her. The two didn't even seem to notice us but Noel was shaking like an electric toothbrush. Jogger lady and her purple canine quickly disappeared behind another building.

"They're gone." Rex whispered, afraid to speak apparently. Noel lifted his head from the ground and did a mini-recon.

"God, she's finally gone. Woo." He wiped invisible sweat off his forehead and began reading his tutorial booklet casually.

"For the last time darn it, whose '_she_'?" I spat as Noel arranged that fallen feather back a top Rex's shell. Damn humans not understanding me, I wish I could learn human words to slap some answers out of him.

Hound returned from somewhere in the field and tugged on the bottom of Noel's pants, getting his attention. "Hey! Hey! I just saw your friend and her Granbull! Did you say hi? How's she doing? Does she miss me? Does she does she does she?" Hound barked this all while sitting his paws on Noel's ribcage.

"Get off Hound, I'm trying to get ready for the pageant here." Noel said, obviously not understanding. Hound snorted and climbed off his trainer.

"Who's his friend?" I asked from beside the stump. Hound turned his head.

"Oh, the blonde girl? Eh...no one important I guess, since Noel wants to be a jackass about it. Whatever." He muttered while walking away. Why was it that she was gaining the 'mystery girl' title? Who is she darn it!

Noel began talking again. "Alright, so we covered round one, since Turtwigs are incapable to stop smiling because of jaw line, and round two is going to be put off till the pageant, 'cause Rex is being a pansy...round three involves the obstacle course; they finally opened that for rehearsal so let's head over!" He said, snapping his book shut and slipping it into his back pocket. He turned around, looking over to where his other pokémon where just lounging under a shaded tree, and returned them into their pokéballs. The rest of us followed him as he carried Rex back into the pokémon center.

* * *

So, is this what an obstacle course looks like? I fully feel like a show dog slave now. Too bad for Rex, _he's_ the one who actually has to go through all this...poor kid. In the wide area needed to space out the course, blue paper tubes, seesaws, and pole vaults were arranged so that they didn't interfere with the guard rails that prevented anyone from just entering. Several people were guiding their small pokémon throughout the course, and one purple haired man stood out from all of them—only because Noel pointed him out.

"Hey look, it's that Harley guy!" He said with surprise while setting Rex down on the floor. During our walk Rex was stripped of his accessories so he didn't look that ridiculous. Harley was over by one of those blue paper tubes, peering inside to see if something inside was coming out anytime soon—oh, it was his creepy Ariados whose limbs clicked together when it walked. How annoying..

"You guys stay here and watch, okay?" Noel looked back down over to Lun, Lale, and me, and the girls nodded and ran over to the guardrails to get a good spot to watch. I claimed the spot between them and watched him and Rex enter the obstacle course. Harley and his pink spider immediately strutted over to them with an overly cocky look.

I couldn't really hear what Harley had said, but I bet it was something flamboyant. It flustered Noel's face red.

"My Turtwig is a _guy_!" He clarified to Harley.

"Eh, I'm not good at determining genders; I failed Biology in high school." Harley said with a shrug. "Are you a...guy?"

"Why do you have to think about it, I don't have an aesthetically correct female body!" Noel said in a frustrated fashion. "The one who should be confused is ME! What _are _you?"

God Noel, do you ever _not _speak your thoughts? Spare me, please.

Harley gasped so loud that I was wondering if he had forgotten to breath. "WELL! I NEVER! Come Ariados!" He turned on his heel, and Noel stared back with an even more confused face.

"Well...yeah! Okay! I'll see you at the pageant then! AND BRING YOUR PINK SOCKS, CAUSE REX AND I WILL KNOCK 'EM OFF, AND EVERYONE'LL KNOW YOU FLIRT WITH GUYS!" People began to give Noel strange looks as he yelled at Harley's back, and Harley waved it off while still effortlessly keeping his strut. Wow, this guy should be a model...

* * *

The house lights dimmed, making it very difficult to find a free seat. Luckily I had a good eye on Kara's legs and she finally found a seat, so the only logical thing I did next was to sit on her lap. She shrieked and I moved partly, and she winced and picked her bag up.

"Ouch! Next time I don't buy so much pointy stuff, I think you just made them jab my thighs..."

"Your fault" I laughed while sticking my tongue at her. I couldn't see her scowl but eventually she scooted over to give me a free seat, which wasn't a lot because she took up most of the room. Ugh fatass...

"So...how was pageant training?"

Was she attempting to make conversation with me? We do have a language barrier I remind you.

"Eh." I said, and she took that as a 'nothing'.

"Oh, well nothing happened with Shina and me either...I don't know what led me to check out those marshes, I got so much mud in between my toes! Oh, but I did find this one thing!" She said, and began rummaging through her pockets. "I dunno what it is, Nurse Joy said it might be a mystic water...but it's covered in mud." She dropped something on my neck, and at first I wanted to throw it off, but the stage lights in front of us flared on and distracted me from it.

Ugh, we should've gotten a seat in the front. I hate sitting in the second row from the back.

"Welcome to the Summer Pastoria Pageant!" The generic-looking MC said into her mic. Someone should remind her that she's not at prom because she's dressed like that woman who touches the letters on the screen on Wheel of Fortune. "Today we have many new contestants, as well as reigning champs and random locals! Today's prize is five grand and a Lapras doll!"

"Ooh, I should've entered, I could use a pokémon plushie..." Kara awed from behind me.

"NO." I deadpanned.

"Our first round is based on appearance! Your applause determines the judge's decisions, so without further ado, our contestants!" The MC walked aside as the curtains rolled up, revealing ten contestants. In front of the trainers were tall steel pedestals where the pokémon stood proudly—or for the big pokémon, just stood with a platform. The crowd hooted loudly at all the dressed up pokémon.

"Wow...Noel did better at dressing Rex up then I thought he would..." Kara muttered. I nodded in agreement, glad to see that Noel had gotten rid of the feathers and wig. This time Rex had a yellow headband tied around his neck and a twig in his mouth. This look was simpler than the other one and it looked like the audience liked it too. Rex's eyes always caught people rather than the things on him. Noel looked nervous and fidgety, but luckily the heat was on Harley because it was time for judging and the MC started with him.

"This is Harley from Slateport City in Hoenn! He was the winner of the Slateport Spring Pageant back in Hoenn, and this is his Ariados! Folks, how do you like his Ariados?" The MC put her hand above Harley's head to show she talking about him, and I looked down to Ariados to see how it was decorated. Black sunglasses blocked light from its compact eyes, while different colored scales stuck to its legs.

"EEE! Look Emp, it's the purple guy again!" My trainer squealed from behind me while bouncing up and down.

"Quit it, your pushing me into the chair!" I snapped. She immobilized like a Pichu had struck her with Thunder Wave. Weird.

The applause died down for Harley, and soon it was Rex and Noel's turn to show off. The spotlight shone down on both of them, highlighting most of Noel's nervous face.

"This is Noel Diego of Sunyshore City in Sinnoh, and this is his Turtwig! Let's hear it for Turtwig!" The MC cheered, although there weren't much claps and you could hear someone awkwardly cough. Kara shot up from her chair and clapped, but slowly stopped when she saw the stares. She smiled nervously and sat back down, and telling by Noel's blushing face, he didn't appreciate her applause.

After the first round ended, the second round was moved to individual people performing their wonderful moves. Many of the contestants fail epically because of their nervousness and lack of trainer commands—how exactly is this the _obedience _portion?

Noel was up next and Rex was placed on the edge of the stage. I wonder how this would go considering Rex was against swearing...for the most part.

"You can do it Rex!" Kara cheered as there was an oblivious applause from the crowd as they prepared themselves on stage. Rex stared at both of us, although I wondered how he could locate us when we were bathed in darkness. He was the only one with light in the whole lobby.

"Begin." One of the judges said as nothing happened for an awkward few seconds.

Rex closed his eyes with his head leaf spinning eerily. His jaw line wobbled as if he was unsure whether to speak or not, and the lights on him revealed the sweat dripping down his short legs. I felt sorry for him, but he seemed like he had everything handled when he let out a baby roar. He jumped off his front legs and landed back on them, then screamed "F#&*!"? Alright...

He whipped his head leaf, sending sharp spinning leafs into the sky that they almost looked like shurikens. They sawed into each other, causing a sickly sheering sound that got the whole crowd wincing. The judges nodding and allowed them to leave stage.

"I think one of those leafs hit me..." Kara whined from beside me.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Slap a bandage on that and call it a day."

Harley stepped on stage with his Ariados; its short appeal consisted of hanging from a web while taking his trainer up with it, proving how strong it was. The judges nodded and shooed them off stage.

Noel came around to our seating area with Rex behind him, who was still shivering from his previous appeal. Good thing we were sitting on the edge of the row or they'd have to combat with some legs to get to us...

"So how did we do?" He asked my trainer as he sat on his knees to blend in with other chairs.

"I don't think you want my opinion..." She replied with a sweat drop. "Let's just say...if you want a consolation prize, you need to do incredibly well in the last round."

Noel groaned and left along with Rex as the third round was starting, and everyone was moved to the obstacle course area. Kara and I watched from behind guardrails as Harley and his Ariados were the first to go through the course. They were experts completely, but I think it was cheating that Ariados had sticky limbs and was secure on the wobbly objects like the seesaw. They had a time of 45 seconds.

"So it's the shortest time gets the highest points right?" Kara asked me. I nodded to answer the obvious question.

Other contestants ran through the course as well, although several big pokémon slipped up and were penalized, and some of the small pokémon were too scared to go through that paper tube and were taking a long time to get through the course; then there were those people who went in the wrong order. Did they not see the labels?

It was finally Noel's turn and he and Rex stood at the starting area anxiously waiting for the buzzer to start.

_BZZ!_

They were both off in a dash and Rex leapt over pole vaults as if he was a Ponyta! Wow he's good. He wounded through the several paper tubes without problem, and soon they came towards one of the difficult obstacles—the double vault. Rex ran faster, but he _rammed _through the vault and snapped the striped poles in half. The crowd gasped and Rex gasped, opening his eyes.

Poor guy forgot to jump.

"Keep going Rex, we need to get a good time!" Noel encouraged as the clock got to 20 seconds. Rex nodded and dashed to the seesaws. He stepped on the part that was already on the ground and walked across cautiously—the other half tilted down and Rex shivered, almost looking about to hop off, but he kept running forward and was off he seesaw. He took a deep breath.

"He's on thirty seconds, and only one seesaw left!" Kara summarized while watching the scene.

"You can do it Rex!" I yelled, "If you can beat that prissy Spider's time, then you've proved that this isn't a girl's sport!"

Rex hurried to the last seesaw and ran across it with no hesitation, but when he arrived at the middle none of the sides had gone downwards. Confused, he stepped backwards, cause the back side to go down. Not expecting this, Rex slipped and tumbled off the seesaw. The crowd gasped and Noel snapped at Rex to keep going.

"Come on man, keep going! Don't get discouraged!" Noel said from the other end of the seesaw. Rex grunted and pushed himself off the floor, earning the crowds amazed screams. Rex walked up the seesaw, balancing himself by placing one foot in front of the other. The other end tilted down, and he beamed and ran across. The buzzer rang, ending their session, and the two stepped out of the course as their score was evaluated.

44 seconds.

After the last of the contestants, everyone returned to their seats except for Noel and Rex who wanted to stay back here, and curiosity got to the better of me and got me to go over to them to see what was up.

"You did great Rex, congrats." I said, patting his shell.

"Thank you Emporor." Rex replied with a loud exhausted yawn. "I was really nervous up there...and it was slippery."

"I saw" I laughed, remembering that one Growlithe who kept sliding off the seesaw. Everything became quiet and I looked up to Noel who had stiffened. I heard footsteps and I peered into the darkness.

Mystery girl in her blue track suit.

"...H-Hi." Noel stuttered nervously. He didn't seem like he was going to make a run for it...I wonder what got him to man up.

"Hey." She said in a careless tone. It was one of those 'hey, I'm just going to keep walking' heys.

"So...what are you doing in Pastoria?" He asked, probably trying to keep up conversation. I'd just run if I were him.

"Looking for you." She replied, and I heard a nervous gulp from Noel. What the hell...?

"And why would you do that...?" He said with a nervous chuckle ending his question.

"Because we need you!" She shrieked, causing all awkwardness. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself. "...Sorry. It's just...you haven't been answering any calls or e-mails or anything...I was worried that something happened to you..."

"Have you been contacting my stalker..?" Noel said in a surprised tone.

The girl waved off his last sentence. "Why did you worry me like that Noel? You know we need you! The season is coming up soon, and you're going to abandon us like that?"

"I can't just go back..." He groaned.

"Why not?" She said, "You are our _best _swimmer Noel, why would you leave us like that? We _need _you!"

"I have more responsibility now Uria, I can't just take the season off anymore." He reasoned. "I have to travel with a beginning trainer through Sinnoh now...It's not like last year when I could take November to February off and leave my pokémon home...it wouldn't be fair to them. Because of that break, we tanked in the Kanto League, and it was all because of the Swim Team."

Hold up...Noel is an _athlete_? Since when...this guy isn't coordinated.

"I can't believe this..." Uria hissed, almost sounding like she would burst into tears. "All this for one girl..."

"How did you know she was a girl?" Noel asked in surprise.

"It doesn't matter; apparently she matters more than your team. Have a nice life Noel." Her footsteps echoed as she walked away, leaving all of us standing in the darkness. Noel sighed and muttered for us to follow him back onstage where the winner of the pageant would be announced...But who can focus on that when I finally get a glance at Noel's past?

* * *

"Too bad you didn't place in the pageant, huh?"

"Eh, a coupon to an ice cream joint isn't that bad..."

It was after the glamorous pageant and we were all sitting at an ice cream parlor, drowning ourselves in globs of ice cream. Both Rex and Kara were inhaling the dessert like black holes...gross.

"So when is your Gym battle?" She inquired to Noel as he fiddled with his spoon.

"Tomorrow morning." He shrugged. "No big deal, we'll just blow through the battle like usual."

"Without Genji." She added.

"Right" He muttered with a nod. He seemed depressed about something, but I highly doubt it was about the pageant. Was it about that Uria girl and that Swim Team thing?

His head quickly shot up, and I turned around to the glass doors of the store. Uria and her Granbull passed by, jogging in their own world. Her brown eyes met his green ones, and they shared a brief second before she turned back to the street in front of her and kept running. I looked back to Noel, who had returned to his ice cream.

* * *

**Umm soo...yeah, words can't describe my lazyness and uninspiredness...BUT I'M TRYING! See, we've gotten into Noel's background-well, a tiny bit anyway. That Uria girl isn't going to show up a lot, so you don't need to remember her.**

**Anyway, Pokemon Black and White is coming out tomorrow, and I reeeeally want to play it without feeling guilty about not updating! So please forgive me if the next chapter doesn't come out until...April. Hehe. Hopefully long chapters will win your forgiveness for month long absenses...so thanks for reading :D YOU GUYS ARE AWESOMENESS IN A CANNN! And you need a can opener to open. Waah.**

_Current Pokemon_

Kara

(MALE) Prinplup - Emp/Emporor  
(FEMALE) Luxio - Shina  
(FEMALE) Lombre - Lale  
(FEMALE) Buneary - Lun/Lunybuny

Noel

(MALE) Blastoise - Barren  
(MALE) Houndoom - Hound  
(MALE) Kado - Alakazam  
(MALE) Dodrio - Dude _PC/Home  
_(FEMALE) Gengar - Genji _PC/Home_  
(MALE) Turtwig - Rex


End file.
